06/07/2026
Notes from the Trail
California Sister (Adelpha bredowii californica) and Lorquin's Admiral (Limenitis lorquini)
California Sister and Lorquin's Admiral are two common local butterflies that look remarkably like one another. The first image shows a California Sister and the second image shows a Lorquin's Admiral.
The differences between the two are relatively subtle. California sister is a brightly colored butterfly that has mostly black wings with a distinctive pattern on its wings: large orange patches on the upper tips of the tops and bottoms of its forewings that do not run to the tips of the wings and a line of squarish dots running from the leading edge of the forewing and tapering to a point on the hindwing. Lorquin's Admiral also has similar black wings, orange patches and white dots, but the orange patches run all the way to the tips of the wings, a row of dots is located near or within the orange patches and the row of white dots is more oblong than square. This color pattern does not vary among individuals of either species--a sign that it is a warning to predators that neither butterfly is a delectable treat. In fact, only California sister has been shown to taste bad to predators while Lorquin's Admiral is a tasty treat to predators willing to overlook its similarity to California sister. Biologists call this "sympatric coloration," where a tasty species mimics a distasteful species to avoid being eaten.
California sister feeds on a variety of flowers in bloom but will also eat fruit, tree sap, and dead animals and f***s. It will "puddle," that is drink water from puddles, as shown above and below. California sister is found in oak woodlands such as those in the upper elevations of Jack London State Historic Park. It is most active in spring. Lorquin's Admiral hangs out in riparian areas having willow species and feeds on nectar from a variety of flowers, including California buckeye, yerba santa, milkweed, thistles (native and exotic) and goldenrod.
Photos and information for Notes from the Trail are generously provided by a JLPP volunteer and naturalist.
