1262 



Rtral vSchool Leaflet 



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two are common. 



Red-spotted purple 



THE SOVEREIGN BUTTERFLIES 



(For special study) 

 Anna Botsford Comstock 

 There are three sovereign butterflies found in New York State, but only 

 They are large butterflies with rounded wings. 



The red-spotted purple. — 

 The red-spotted purple has 

 velvety black wings. The 

 front wings are reddish at 

 the tips, and the hind ones 

 show a dark metallic green 

 luster, while the triple rows 

 of spots near the edges may 

 be green, blue, or purple. 

 This species is found only 

 in the southern part of the 

 State and is not very com- 

 mon. 



The banded purple. — The 

 banded purple, or the white admiral as it is usually called, has choco- 

 late-black velvety wings with a broad white band crossing both front and 

 hind pairs. This is a common butterfly throughout New York State. 



The viceroy. — The viceroy has quite forsaken the general coloring of its 

 family and appears in a uniform of brilliant orange-red with veins and 

 borders black, in imitation of the monarch. Since the monarch is avoided 

 by birds, it is much to the viceroy's advantage to resemble the monarch 

 as closely as possible, and the imitation is very perfect, except that the 

 viceroy has a narrow black band across the middle of the hind wings. 



The habits of the caterpillars 

 of the sovereigns are very 

 much alike and are ver}^ in- 

 teresting. There are two broods 

 each year. The egg of the first 

 brood is laid by the adult 

 female at the tip of the leaf of 

 the food plant, w^hich in the 

 case of the white admiral is 

 black birch or poplar, in the 

 case of the viceroy willow or 

 ]Doplar. The newly hatched 

 caterpillar feeds across the end of the leaf, leaving the midrib. It rests on 

 the naked midrib during the day and feeds at night. Soon it makes a 



Banded purple, or white admiral 



