Vanessa atalanta: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the vanessa atalanta lives – recorded in 29 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Vanessa atalanta
Group	Butterflies & moths
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	29 countries
Continents	Europe, North America
Class	Insect
Order	Lepidoptera
Family	Nymphalidae

Where does the vanessa atalanta live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the vanessa atalanta in 29 countries and territories across Europe and North America.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the vanessa atalanta endangered?

The vanessa atalanta’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the vanessa atalanta?

The vanessa atalanta (Vanessa atalanta) is an insect in the order Lepidoptera and the family Nymphalidae, genus Vanessa. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the vanessa atalanta

Vanessa atalanta, the red admiral or, previously, the red admirable, is a well-characterized, medium-sized butterfly with black wings, red bands, and white spots. It has a wingspan of about 2 inches (5 cm). It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. The red admiral is widely distributed across temperate regions of North Africa, North America, Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean. It resides in warmer areas, but migrates north in spring and sometimes again in autumn. Typically found in moist woodlands, the red admiral caterpillar's primary host plant is the stinging nettle (Urtica dioica); it can also be found on the false nettle (Boehmeria cylindrica). The adult butterfly drinks from flowering plants like Buddleja and overripe fruit. Red admirals are territorial; females will only mate with males that hold territory. Males with superior flight abilities are more likely to successfully court females. It is known as an unusually calm butterfly, often allowing observation at a very close distance before flying away, also landing on and using humans as perches.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Vanessa atalanta (revision 1360427804), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q156454 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).