Vanessa itea - Australian Admiral butterfly

Medium sized butterfly, wingspan over 60mm. Upper wings brightly coloured. Hind wings are dull redm with a black border and a row of blue spots near the edge. Fore wings are predominately black, but have a large central patch of yellow, with dull red on the inner side and white spots toward the tip. The underwing is quite different, with the hind wing dark brown with irregular markings, so that the butterfly is well-camouflaged when its wings are closed. The caterpillars feed on stinging nettles

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• by Noeline Sherwin