This Red Admiral butterfly was flittering and fluttering around the entrance to our back porch as we were closing, what a beautiful specimen!
It generally uses a common lawn “weed” called Florida Pellitory that occurs in moist part shade areas, like the back of the nursery, and also our native False Nettle among a few others as it’s host plant.
Allowing for some of these plants to establish in your yard and can provide a home for these creatures, along with changing the way you look at some things we commonly call “weeds”.
They need nectar from a variety of flowers but according to UF entomologists they prefer fermenting tree sap, rotting fruit, and fresh dung as their food source!
