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Viceroy (Limenitis archippus)

Posted on Jul 25, 2014

It’s turning out to be a gorgeous afternoon once again across the Northeast. Here’s a Meet Your Neighbours visitor you may see in your garden on such a day – no, it is not a Monarch, look carefully! This is the Viceroy (Limenitis archippus), a smaller species that flies with a much more erratic gliding fashion, coasting along at a faster speed with the wings held horizontally and stretched out. In these photos you can also see the postmedian black line that runs along the veins of the hindwing. Once you have seen enough of their movements and behaviors you’ll be able to pick them apart from a distance even without binoculars.

Viceroy (Limenitis archippus) butterfly