Attributes of Asterocampa celtis

Hackberry Emperor
Asterocampa celtis (Boisduval & Leconte, [1835])

Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Apaturinae
Identification: Extremely variable geographically. Upperside is reddish brown. Forewing has 1 submarginal eyespot, a jagged row of white spots, and the cell has 1 solid black bar and 2 separate black spots.
Wing Span: 1 3/8 - 2 1/2 inches (3.5 - 6.3 cm).
Life History: Hackberry Butterflies fly in a fast and erratic manner, and rest upside down on tree trunks. Males perch on tall objects in sunny areas to watch for females. Eggs are laid in clusters, and the young caterpillars feed communally. Caterpillars overwinter in groups gathered inside dead rolled leaves.
Flight: Two broods from May-October.
Caterpillar Hosts: Various hackberries (Celtis species) and sugarberry (Celtis laevigata).
Adult Food: Sap, rotting fruit, dung, carrion. Will take moisture at wet spots along roads and streams.
Habitat: Along wooded streams, forest glades and river edges, wooded roadsides, towns.
Range: Resident in most of the eastern United States, central Plains states, and the southwest mountains; northern Mexico.
Conservation: Not usually of conservation concern.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
Taxonomy Notes:

Images of Asterocampa celtis

Click on an image to view full size and to see additional details.



Asterocampa celtis - asterocampa_celtis_montis_egg_raisingbutterflies.jpg

Asterocampa celtis - asterocampa_celtis_montis_egg_raisingbutterflies.jpg


Asterocampa celtis - HackberryEmperor-Simons.jpg

Asterocampa celtis - HackberryEmperor-Simons.jpg
Asterocampa celtis - und-HackberryEmperor-Simons.jpg

Asterocampa celtis - und-HackberryEmperor-Simons.jpg

Asterocampa celtis - Asterocampa_celtis.jpg

Asterocampa celtis - Asterocampa_celtis.jpg
Asterocampa celtis - Asterocampa_celtis2.jpg

Asterocampa celtis - Asterocampa_celtis2.jpg

The map below displays all verified sighting records in the BAMONA database for this species. Each record is indicated with a yellow dot. The orange dots on the map provide access to information about the 400 most recently verified sightings of this species. In some instances, there are several records at the same location. Use the table view to access these records.

Instructions: Click on the map and move your mouse to pan.
Zoom by using the plus [+] and minus [-] on the left side of the map.
To change which map layers are displayed, click on the plus sign [+] on the right side of the map.

By default, the fifty most recently verified sightings are below. Sort by Observation Date to see the most recent sightings, or filter the sightings by region to get a regional list.

See more recently verified sightings of all species.

You don't have Javascript enabled. Hover for more information! But don't worry: you can still use this web site! You have two options:
  • enable Javascript in your browser and then refresh this page, for a much enhanced experience.
  • click the Update button every time you want to update the selection.
Observation Date Submitter Region Verified Datesort icon
June 09, 2013 SteveSass Elkhart County, Indiana, United States June 17, 2013 Details
June 16, 2013 CA Ivy Adair County, Oklahoma, United States June 17, 2013 Details
June 04, 2013 reinh2o Monroe County, Indiana, United States June 09, 2013 Details
June 07, 2013 CA Ivy Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States June 09, 2013 Details
June 03, 2013 adamschaffer Benton County, Arkansas, United States June 07, 2013 Details
June 01, 2013 gunhilda Payne County, Oklahoma, United States June 05, 2013 Details
May 27, 2013 Doug Bruce Gibson County, Tennessee, United States May 30, 2013 Details
May 29, 2013 CA Ivy Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States May 30, 2013 Details
May 26, 2013 Doug Bruce Lake County, Tennessee, United States May 29, 2013 Details
May 28, 2013 painted lady Benton County, Arkansas, United States May 29, 2013 Details
May 25, 2013 Doug Bruce Obion County, Tennessee, United States May 27, 2013 Details
May 26, 2013 CA Ivy Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States May 27, 2013 Details
May 26, 2013 gunhilda Payne County, Oklahoma, United States May 27, 2013 Details
June 27, 2012 Stacy Holt Inyo County, California, United States May 23, 2013 Details
May 22, 2013 CA Ivy Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States May 23, 2013 Details
May 21, 2013 slbaird1957 Texas, Tarrant County, United States May 21, 2013 Details
May 19, 2013 CA Ivy Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States May 19, 2013 Details
May 12, 2013 aahewetson Hood County, Texas, United States May 14, 2013 Details
August 09, 2012 KristyBaker Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States May 11, 2013 Details
April 26, 2013 Ken Cheeks Aiken County, South Carolina, United States May 09, 2013 Details
May 23, 2010 freda Sevier County, Tennessee, United States May 03, 2013 Details
August 09, 2012 gunhilda Payne County, Oklahoma, United States February 11, 2013 Details
September 08, 2012 CA Ivy Cherokee County, Oklahoma, United States February 03, 2013 Details
October 19, 2012 CA Ivy Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States January 27, 2013 Details
October 15, 2012 CA Ivy Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States January 25, 2013 Details
October 13, 2012 aahewetson Jack County, Texas, United States December 26, 2012 Details
September 19, 1988 legacy.reporter (George T. Austin) Lincoln County, Nevada, United States December 01, 2012 Details
September 15, 1990 legacy.reporter (Richard P. Meyer) Mohave County, Arizona, United States December 01, 2012 Details
April 07, 2012 vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) Jefferson County, Alabama, United States December 01, 2012 Details
April 12, 2012 vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) Dallas County, Alabama, United States December 01, 2012 Details
April 15, 2012 vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) Colbert County, Alabama, United States December 01, 2012 Details
April 29, 2012 vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) Perry County, Alabama, United States December 01, 2012 Details
May 05, 2012 vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) Lawrence County, Alabama, United States December 01, 2012 Details
May 07, 2012 vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) Colbert County, Alabama, United States December 01, 2012 Details
May 20, 2012 vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) Jefferson County, Alabama, United States December 01, 2012 Details
May 28, 2012 vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) Colbert County, Alabama, United States December 01, 2012 Details
May 27, 2012 vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) Colbert County, Alabama, United States December 01, 2012 Details
June 15, 2012 vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) Colbert County, Alabama, United States December 01, 2012 Details
June 16, 2012 vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) Jefferson County, Alabama, United States December 01, 2012 Details
July 08, 2012 vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) Perry County, Alabama, United States December 01, 2012 Details
August 20, 2012 vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) Baldwin County, Alabama, United States December 01, 2012 Details
August 26, 2012 vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) Perry County, Alabama, United States December 01, 2012 Details
September 07, 2012 vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) Colbert County, Alabama, United States December 01, 2012 Details
September 21, 2012 legacy.reporter (Sara Bright / Paulette Ogard) Perry County, Alabama, United States December 01, 2012 Details
October 11, 1978 legacy.reporter (Kilian Roever) Clark County, Nevada, United States December 01, 2012 Details
September 11, 1978 legacy.reporter (Kilian Roever) Clark County, Nevada, United States December 01, 2012 Details
June 02, 2012 Jeff Trahan Catahoula Parish, Louisiana, United States November 14, 2012 Details
November 11, 2012 Matt ODonnell Clarke County, Virginia, United States November 14, 2012 Details
August 25, 2012 wtmanders Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States November 09, 2012 Details
July 07, 2012 doris potter Quebec, Canada November 06, 2012 Details