Meet Your Neighbors: Red-Spotted Purple Butterflies

Meet Your Neighbors: New York’s Natural World

In this series, we connect policy to nature – highlighting native New York species, what we have in common with them, and the roles they play in NYLCV’s policy agenda. Here in Part 3, we meet New York’s black bears.

By Georgia Good

Often, bugs don’t get the same love as bigger, furry or finned New Yorkers. But they’re equally deserving. A New York – and a planet – without insects would mean ecological collapse. So this month, it’s butterflies’ time to shine. 

Who are red-spotted purple butterflies? 

These butterflies are native across the eastern US, but they have a special place in New York’s heart: while North American beavers are our state animal, red-spotted purple butterflies are our state insect. They’re the insect equivalent of tree-huggers: they like deciduous woodlands, lush, green places close to water, and suburban areas across New York State. 

A technical point: red-spotted purple butterflies are actually a subspecies, combined with the “white admiral” butterfly to make Limenitis arthemis arthemis. But the two subspecies look very different: white admirals are mostly black with a distinct white stripe, while red-spotted purple butterflies are usually, confusingly, an iridescent black and blue, fringed with orange spots. 

When butterfly-searching, be eagle-eyed: what may seem, at first glance, to be something else, may turn out to be a red-spotted purple butterfly. As larvae, they resemble bird droppings, to deter predators. As adults, they play a similar (if prettier) trick: with their similarly shining, blue-black bodies, they masquerade as pipevine swallowtail butterflies, who are toxic and taste bad to predators. 

Ever wondered what makes butterflies glitter in the light? Their wings are covered in thousands of intricate, microscopic scales, overlapping like shingles, which interact with light to produce shimmering, iridescent colors. If you’ve ever touched a butterfly and seen a “fairy dust” shimmer left on your skin, that’s butterfly scales. Like in the red-spotted’s case, butterflies’ mesmerizing colors often signal toxicity to predators, as well helping them attract mates and camouflage themselves. And a bit like us on a sunny New York day, butterflies “bask”: their colors and patterns absorb and reflect sunlight, helping them regulate their body temperature. These functions have evolved over millions of years (in fact, butterflies have existed for about 100 million years, when certain moths started flying during the day – versus homo sapiens’ mere 300,000). 

In winter, red-spotted purple butterflies hunker down in a “hibernaculum”, a shelter made of a tightly rolled leaf (we get it – New York real estate is tough). Then, they metamorphose, living as butterflies from spring through autumn. Keep an eye out for them this spring, especially in moist, wooded areas. If you see one, rejoice: their presence indicates healthy levels of biodiversity. 

Caterpillars, we’ve heard, can be very hungry. As caterpillars, red-spotted purple butterflies feed on native trees. They especially like black cherry, poplars, cottonwoods, and willow – native trees that support wide arrays of pollinators. By munching on leaves, the caterpillars convert plant biomass into high-protein food for birds and mammals, forming a key link in the food chain (despite the red spotted’s best efforts at disguise). During the breeding season, our state’s beloved songbirds need thousands of caterpillars to sustain them. If you have the space, you can help support these food chains: consider planting a native tree, with tips from the New York Department of Environmental Conservation here. 

What do red-spotted purple butterflies and NYLCVEF have in common? 

We both love trees. Just like butterflies, humans need trees to survive. NYLCVEF supports the planting and protection of trees and forested areas across New York State. And we support New York City’s first-ever Urban Forest Plan, which aims to expand the city’s tree canopy from 22% to 30% by 2035. In NYC, trees are vital infrastructure: they clean the air and cool the city on hot days, capture carbon, and help safeguard New Yorkers’ mental and physical health. 

We’re both averse to pesticides. These chemicals pollute ecosystems, degrade soil, and contaminate waterways. They harm or kill organisms – from birds and butterflies to humans (they can cause us chronic health issues, including cancer and infertility). In our 2026 State Agenda, we’re calling for regulations that curtail the use of neonicotinoid insecticides – the most widely used insecticide globally, which are highly toxic to pollinators, aquatic invertebrates, and our environment. If you’re a gardener, think twice before using pesticides at home – opting out will protect all kinds of New Yorkers. 

We both love decaying organic matter (in certain contexts). If you’re picturing these pretty butterflies sweetly sipping flower nectar, surprise! They prefer rotting fruit, sap, dung, and even carrion. By breaking down decaying matter, they cycle nutrients, fertilizing soil and keeping it healthy for the whole forest. Composting works the same way – enriching soil for plants, while keeping food scraps and yard waste out of carbon-emitting landfills. In NYC, we’re calling for the implementation of the 2023 Zero Waste Act, which includes outreach and enforcement of the citywide residential curbside organics program, and funding for organic waste drop-off sites. NYC must also invest in more City-owned composting facilities and community composting programs. And its agencies should be required to source project materials from the City’s own waste stream – like transferring compost from the Department of Sanitation to the Departments of Parks and Recreation and Environmental Protection. Make sure you’re composting too, if you can, and if you have a yard, leave leaf litter on the ground – it’s a good home for larvae in the winter. 

Here’s to the (ecological) butterfly effect 

No New Yorker is too small to go unnoticed. Red-spotted purple butterflies are a flitting, shimmering call to notice the small, everyday pockets of wonder in life. And they remind us that we’re all part of one environmental system, and we all have value and agency within it – whether that’s munching on rotten fruit and brightening our forests, or working with NYLCVEF and your community on environmental action – to show up for each other, New York, and our planet. 

Georgia Good is the Communications Fellow at the New York League of Conservation Voters. She’s a Steinhardt Graduate Scholar in Environmental Conservation Education at NYU, with a focus on climate communications and advocacy. She’s had comms roles at Climate Arc, the Centre for Climate Engagement, University of Cambridge, and Mercy Corps, and she has a BA in English from UCL, UK.