Credit: Papilio / Alamy Stock PhotoHow do white admiral butterflies breed? White admirals lay their eggs during late summer on honeysuckle leaves, often with strands dangling down, so that the larvae have an immediate food source when they hatch. The freshly-hatched larvae feed from the tips of the leaves. Towards the end of the summer they construct silk leaf shelters to overwinter in, reemerging in spring ready to pupate. Adults are fully developed and ready to fly from mid-June to mid-August.