It's a red admiral, one of my favorite butterflies!
The undersides look very different from the topsides. Here's a picture that shows some of the underside and some of the topside of a red admiral -
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Sherry

It's a Red Admiral, much bigger than a hairstreak, which is a very small butterfly. I am raising some Red Admiral caterpillars right now. Seems like there is an abundance of them this year. Sometimes I have gone 2 or 3 years without seeing them at all. Their host plants include Stinging Nettle, False Nettle, and Pellitory. I have False Nettle, since I don't care for the stinging hairs of the other.

Do you live close to Wichita? I am actually from Southeast Kansas (Independence, Neodesha area), but lived in Wichita for a couple of years way back when.

Welcome to the forum. We don't have anyone from Kansas so feel free to join in, observe, and maybe grow a few host plants sometime???

Susan

Here is a link that might be useful: Several Images of Red Admiral

misssherry and susanlynn48, I am truly impressed. I deal with plant ID's frequently in the Name That Plant forum and we seldom get stuff ID'd this fast! It is great that there are those with knowledge that are so willing to care and share.
I, with some strength in horticulture but weakness in entomology, thought that it may be one of the hairstreaks because of the similar antennae that I viewed in my reference books. Thanks for sharing.
hortster

hi , hoping someone can help me . i need to see milkweed leaves so i can find some plants ,the kind that grow wild. any help would be appreciated! thanks mickymae

mickymae, start with a google search for images of milkweed plants. You can probably find some locally. If worst comes to worst, you can go to a local nursery and ask about tropical milkweed -- it's often for sale, and works just fine for Monarchs.

I've attached a list of milkweeds from Monarch Watch. If you click on each image or link, you will bring up the identification images and details. Most common milkweed is Asclepias syriaca. Also, depending on your location, states in which they are native.

Hope this helps.

Susan

Here is a link that might be useful: Milkweed species

Thanks for your help .that's just what i needed

Indeed a beauty of a butterfly. I recently posted a link to some pictures from my yard. If you look specifically at DSCF0118 and DSCF0112 you will see the same markings from your picture. The other pictures are of this same butterfly sunning and showing off the colors.

Here is a link that might be useful: Visit from the Admiral

Most definitely a match. I have since seen a couple more in the yard. By the way, susanlynne48, I do live in a 'burb of Wichita where there is a lot of stinging nettle nearby.
I will not forget the name of this beautiful critter. Thanks to all for educating me!
hortster

You may also have some False Nettle (Boehmeria cylindrica) nearby, which they also use as a larval host plant, and which is native here and probably Kansas as well. You can recognize the caterpillars by the "nests" they make of a folded over leaf sewn closed with silk.

I am hand raising some of the caterpillars right now. If you ever wish to attract the fruit feeding butterflies that like to nectar on rotting fruit, scat, and tree sap, you can hang a rotting banana in a suet feeder (or place on a plate - the possums always steal whatever I put on a plate), and you will attract several butterflies to it, including the Red Admiral, Question Mark, Comma, Mourning Cloak (spring and fall), Hackberry Emperors.

BTW, butterflies are much easier to ID than plants, IMHO, because there are fewer of them. But glad we could help you.

Susan

This must be a great year for Red Admirals. Today there was a flock of them fliting about in my foundation plantings and warming themselves in a sunspot on the house siding above. My 3/4 acre is heavily planted with butterfly attracting plants and entertains many kinds of butterflies, but in the 12 years here, this is the first time I have seen the Red Admirals.

Congrats, Gazania, on your RAs! It does seem like we are seeing lots of them this year and I think they are sooooo cool!

Susan