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.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 433 - 456 of 3767 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 22, 2015
Submitted by: Carolyn Seaton
Region: Gaston County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 10, 2020
Observation date: Jun 26, 2015
Submitted by: Carolyn Seaton
Region: Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 10, 2020
Observation date: Jun 06, 2015
Submitted by: stucknick
Region: Des Moines County, Iowa, United States
Verified by: Eric Wood
Verified date: Dec 09, 2020
Observation date: Aug 15, 2010
Submitted by: camflies
Region: Johnson County, Iowa, United States
Verified by: Eric Wood
Verified date: Dec 08, 2020
Observation date: Aug 29, 2016
Submitted by: fuzzi
Region: Pitt County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 08, 2020
Observation date: Oct 09, 2016
Submitted by: chrissmith102568
Region: Durham County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 08, 2020
Observation date: Jul 09, 2017
Submitted by: stuartp
Region: Orange County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 08, 2020
Observation date: Jul 27, 2017
Submitted by: mercified
Region: Orange County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 08, 2020
Observation date: Jul 24, 2019
Submitted by: John LeBlanc
Region: Granville County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 06, 2020
Observation date: Aug 03, 2018
Submitted by: Dr Rycek
Region: Richardson County, Nebraska, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Dec 04, 2020
Observation date: Sep 02, 2018
Submitted by: nrodell
Region: Hamilton County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Dec 03, 2020
Observation date: Jun 20, 2020
Submitted by: Lutherjj
Region: Cedar County, Nebraska, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Dec 03, 2020
Observation date: Sep 12, 2020
Submitted by: tnjbodker
Region: Wilson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Nov 28, 2020
Observation date: Sep 14, 2020
Submitted by: Colleen K
Region: Robertson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Nov 28, 2020
Observation date: Aug 28, 2020
Submitted by: ButterBelle
Region: Putnam County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Nov 28, 2020
Observation date: Aug 29, 2020
Submitted by: Colleen K
Region: Robertson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Nov 28, 2020
Observation date: Aug 27, 2020
Submitted by: Janbarie
Region: Williamson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Nov 28, 2020
Observation date: Aug 02, 2020
Submitted by: rjnudo
Region: Miami County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: azukoff
Verified date: Nov 23, 2020
Observation date: Aug 05, 2020
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Nov 05, 2020
Observation date: Oct 14, 2020
Submitted by: TitaniumNinja
Region: Dallas County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Oct 19, 2020
Observation date: Jul 20, 2020
Submitted by: Beth Grace
Region: Ramsey County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Oct 04, 2020
Observation date: Jul 20, 2020
Submitted by: jmcgrath
Region: Winona County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Oct 04, 2020
Observation date: Jul 27, 2020
Submitted by: andrewlamberson
Region: Goodhue County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Oct 04, 2020
Observation date: Aug 10, 2020
Submitted by: amparrish15
Region: Green County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Oct 04, 2020
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