Bug FAQKamehameha Butterfly
Vanessa tameamea · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Nymphalidae
Also called: Kamehameha Lady
The Kamehameha butterfly is a medium-sized nymphalid with dark wings marked by reddish-orange patches and, in males, orange spots on the forewing while females have white spots. It lives in the mid to upper canopy of high-elevation damp forests in Hawaii, especially in places like Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and Waimea Canyon State Park, and adults are seen year-round with a peak in spring. Caterpillars feed on plants in the nettle family (Urticaceae) and adults sip sap from koa trees.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The wings are dark with reddish-orange markings, and the species shows sexual dimorphism: females have three small white spots on the anterior forewing, males have orange spots.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
It is a medium-sized member of the Nymphalidae family.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Adults usually fly in the mid to upper canopy of forests.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Caterpillars eat the leaves of plants belonging to the nettle family (Urticaceae). Adult butterflies feed on the sap of koa (Acacia koa) trees.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are present throughout the year, with numbers highest in the spring months.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adult butterflies can be seen in all months, but they peak during spring.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The Kamehameha butterfly is one of only two butterfly species endemic to Hawaii.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It looks intermediate between the ladies and admirals and is most closely related to Vanessa indica and V. samani.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 1 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Hawaii.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do Kamehameha butterfly caterpillars eat?
The caterpillars feed on leaves of plants in the nettle family (Urticaceae).
Source: Wikipedia
What do adult Kamehameha butterflies drink?
Adults sip sap from koa (Acacia koa) trees.
Source: Wikipedia
When are adult Kamehameha butterflies most common?
Adults are seen all year but are most abundant in the spring.
Source: Wikipedia
Where can I find Kamehameha butterflies?
They are typically found in the mid to upper canopy of high-elevation damp forests in Hawaii, such as Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and Waimea Canyon State Park.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Nymphalidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamehameha_butterfly
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-28 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-28.