@learningzeroliving: A little garden magic with one of our favorite native forest edge species! 🦋✨ This beauty is a Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis), easily recognized by those iridescent blue-green wings. A few fun facts about these stunning visitors: 🌿 Host Plants: Their caterpillars feed on native hardwood trees and shrubs, especially wild black cherry (Prunus serotina), willows, hawthorns, serviceberry, and poplars. 🍎 Unique Diet: Unlike most butterflies, adults rarely visit flowers! Instead, they prefer to get their nutrients from overripe fermenting fruit, tree sap, and damp mineral-rich mud puddles. 🎭 Master of Disguise: They are mimicry experts! The adults mimic toxic Pipevine Swallowtails to deter birds, while their caterpillars actually disguised themselves as bird droppings to escape predators. Want to attract them to your yard? Plant native host trees like wild cherry or willow, and leave out a tray of overripe fruit or a damp muddy spot! #LearningZeroLiving #RedSpottedPurple #NativePlants #HostPlants #NativePollinators

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Wednesday 12 August 2026 17:55:33 GMT