Tawny Emperor
Asterocampa clyton (Boisduval & Leconte, [1835])
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Apaturinae
Identification: Geographically variable. Upperside is chestnut brown; forewing with 2 brown bars in the cell, no white spots, and no eyespots near the outer margin. Hindwing uppersides are orange with black submarginal spots in one form, and all black in the other form.
Wing Span: 1 5/8 - 2 3/4 inches (4.2 - 7 cm).
Life History: Males perch on trees in full sun to watch for females. Eggs are laid in large groups of 200-500 on bark or the underside of mature leaves of host plants. Caterpillars eat leaves and young ones feed gregariously. Third-stage caterpillars hibernate in groups of about 10 inside a dead curled leaf.
Flight: One brood in the north from June-August, two broods in the south from March-November.
Caterpillar Hosts: Trees of the elm family including Celtis occidentalis, C. tenuifolia, C. laevigata, C. lindheimeri, and C. reticulata.
Adult Food: Tree sap, rotting fruit, dung, carrion. Tawny Emperors almost never visit flowers.
Habitat: Densely wooded riparian areas, dry woods, open woods, cities, fencerows, parks.
Range: North Dakota south to Texas, east to New England through most of the southeastern states. Isolated populations in Florida, southwest New Mexico, and southeastern Arizona.
Conservation: Not usually of ocnservation 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.
Comments: NULL
Please donate!
We depend on donations to keep Butterflies and Moths of North America freely available. We want to express our gratitude to all who showed their support by making a contribution this year. You can donate to support this project at any time.
Advertise with us!
Do you have a product or service that you think would interest BAMONA users? If you would like to advertise on this website, contact us by email, or use the contact form and select the "Advertising" category.
Verified Sightings
Displaying 289 - 312 of 2078 verified sightings
Observation date: Jun 28, 2018
Submitted by: A_baldini
Region: Columbia County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Aug 04, 2018
Observation date: Jul 26, 2018
Submitted by: fragglecat
Region: Hays County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 02, 2018
Observation date: Jul 04, 2018
Submitted by: joep01
Region: Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 28, 2018
Observation date: Jul 19, 2018
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Isabella County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 21, 2018
Observation date: Jul 16, 2018
Submitted by: Jeanne9953
Region: Westchester County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 17, 2018
Observation date: Jul 15, 2018
Submitted by: louisiananature
Region: St. Martin Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jul 16, 2018
Observation date: Jul 13, 2018
Submitted by: Christinalea
Region: Texas, Travis County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jul 13, 2018
Observation date: Mar 15, 2018
Submitted by: Christinalea
Region: Hidalgo County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jul 09, 2018
Observation date: Jul 07, 2018
Submitted by: MothLady41
Region: Okeechobee County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jul 08, 2018
Observation date: Jul 07, 2018
Submitted by: nrpeters
Region: Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 08, 2018
Observation date: Jun 28, 2018
Submitted by: fourfalls
Region: Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jun 30, 2018
Observation date: Jun 25, 2018
Submitted by: Ron Smith
Region: Manatee County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jun 29, 2018
Observation date: Apr 30, 2018
Submitted by: Colin Reid
Region: Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jun 27, 2018
Observation date: Jun 24, 2018
Submitted by: Trailmaker
Region: Jefferson County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 25, 2018
Observation date: Jun 07, 2017
Submitted by: Tommie Rogers
Region: Marion County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Jun 09, 2018
Observation date: May 19, 2018
Submitted by: wallap74
Region: St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: May 21, 2018
Observation date: May 12, 2018
Submitted by: fragglecat
Region: Texas, Travis County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: May 13, 2018
Observation date: Apr 29, 2018
Submitted by: loyallonghorn
Region: Fort Bend County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: May 01, 2018
Observation date: Apr 24, 2018
Submitted by: GPete
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Apr 26, 2018
Observation date: Aug 19, 2016
Submitted by: Michael Schwing
Region: Marion County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: Howell_Curtis
Verified date: Apr 11, 2018
Observation date: Feb 23, 2018
Submitted by: jjflossem
Region: Hernando County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Mar 23, 2018
Observation date: Jul 19, 2017
Submitted by: thomass
Region: Bexar County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jan 05, 2018
Observation date: Jul 01, 2017
Submitted by: A_baldini
Region: Dane County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Dec 17, 2017
Observation date: Aug 09, 2017
Submitted by: Wolffoot
Region: Brown County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Dec 13, 2017
- ‹ previous
- 13 of 87
- next ›