This pretty butterfly was resting on my backpack last fall in the lawn in front of Main Building. Luckily I was able to get a picture before it flew away. I have identified this butterfly as Vanessa atalanta, or the Red Admiral. It inhabits a range from central Canada through the Mexican highlands and Guatemala, spending March-October in the north and October-March in the south since it can’t survive extreme winters. Hosts for caterpillars include plants from the nettle family. Adults prefer to feed on sap flows on trees, fermenting fruit, and bird droppings. They visit flowers only when the previous food sources are not available. Adults also have different summer and winter forms where the summer form is larger and brighter and the winter form is smaller and duller. These butterflies are not endangered and populations are globally secure.
Sources:
Vanessa.ent.iastate.edu/species.html
Www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Vanessa-atalanta
My iNaturalist post can be found here.