Will they visit?: Yellow Admiral Butterflies frequently visit home gardens
Natural Distribution: Common and widespread throughout the South West and Perth region
Yellow Admiral – (CC)Reiner Richter. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Australia License (Atlas of Living Australia)
Yellow Admiral – (CC)Stephen Snow. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Australia License (Atlas of Living Australia)
Yellow Admiral – (CC)Donald Hobern. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Australia License (Atlas of Living Australia)
Habitat at a Glance
See Habitat Guide for more detail
Shelter: Sunny positions around the garden
Diet: Adults feed on nectar, caterpillars feed on foliage
Water: Not required
ReWild Benefit: Pollinator
Habitat Guide - Shelter
Natural Shelter
Yellow Admiral Butterflies have an unusual habitat of resting head down on the trunks and branches of trees and large shrubs. They will also sun themselves on logs and large rocks within the garden. Caterpillars are active at night and will retreat into a curled leaf during the day.
Novel Shelter
Not required.
Habitat Guide - Food and Water
Providing natural sources of food
The Australian Painted Lady will feed on the nectar on many species of plants. The caterpillars are much more specialised and primarily feed specific plants. Plant an array of native daises, groundcovers, and shrubs to provide food and breeding habitat for this butterfly.
Avoid commercial non-native seeds advertised for butterflies. These plants are usually unsuitable for our native butterflies to breed on – and have the potential to become serious weeds.
Providing sources of water
Not required.
ReWild Benefits
These butterflies are pollinators and help connect biodiversity across the landscape. If you see them around your garden, you can record your sighting on Atlas of Living Australia!
