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
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 313 - 336 of 2078 verified sightings
Observation date: Nov 15, 2017
Submitted by: Shelley Rutkin
Region: Hidalgo County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Nov 28, 2017
Observation date: Nov 19, 2017
Submitted by: Raul Delgado
Region: Texas, Webb County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Nov 20, 2017
Observation date: Sep 29, 2016
Submitted by: ftn9549b
Region: Harris County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Oct 30, 2017
Observation date: Oct 16, 2017
Submitted by: ftn9549b
Region: Gonzales County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Oct 30, 2017
Observation date: Sep 22, 2017
Submitted by: Jeff Trahan
Region: Tillman County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Oct 22, 2017
Observation date: Oct 21, 2012
Submitted by: fragglecat
Region: Texas, Travis County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Oct 13, 2017
Observation date: Oct 08, 2017
Submitted by: Auntie_lez
Region: Dallas County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Oct 08, 2017
Observation date: Apr 30, 2017
Submitted by: aledogma
Region: Harris County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Oct 08, 2017
Observation date: Jul 02, 2017
Submitted by: wallap74
Region: Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Oct 03, 2017
Observation date: Sep 06, 2017
Submitted by: KS.trailwalker
Region: Anderson County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Sep 18, 2017
Observation date: Apr 23, 2017
Submitted by: Paul Prappas
Region: Harris County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Sep 18, 2017
Observation date: Sep 04, 2017
Submitted by: Melinda Fawver
Region: Benton County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Sep 11, 2017
Observation date: Sep 08, 2017
Submitted by: Mapper
Region: Pulaski County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 10, 2017
Observation date: Sep 07, 2017
Submitted by: gpro111
Region: Citrus County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Sep 09, 2017
Observation date: Sep 04, 2017
Submitted by: tracielrodgers
Region: Collin County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Sep 07, 2017
Observation date: Aug 21, 2017
Submitted by: Leaf_onthewind
Region: Hardin County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 27, 2017
Observation date: Aug 24, 2017
Submitted by: jmmiller
Region: Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Aug 24, 2017
Observation date: Aug 09, 2017
Submitted by: treichard
Region: Harris County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 15, 2017
Observation date: Aug 03, 2017
Submitted by: H Hooper
Region: Leon County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 10, 2017
Observation date: Aug 07, 2017
Submitted by: Sue Gregoire
Region: Schuyler County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 09, 2017
Observation date: Aug 08, 2017
Submitted by: Laurelkuzawa
Region: Kent County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 09, 2017
Observation date: Aug 02, 2016
Submitted by: Jben745
Region: Wayne County, New York, United States
Verified by: reutere
Verified date: Aug 03, 2017
Observation date: Aug 01, 2017
Submitted by: WINGSaloftinKS
Region: Douglas County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 02, 2017
Observation date: Jun 27, 2017
Submitted by: aarongunnar
Region: Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: BGilley
Verified date: Jul 29, 2017
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