Lorquin's Admiral Limenitis lorquini

This beautiful butterfly carries history in its very name: Lorquin's admiral honors Pierre Joseph Michel Lorquin, a French naturalist and explorer who came to California. Unlike the prospectors chasing gold during the Gold Rush era, Lorquin pursued something far more valuable—groundbreaking discoveries about the region's natural history. He documented California's remarkable biodiversity, and his legacy lives on immortalized in this butterfly's distinguished name.