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 553 - 576 of 2079 verified sightings
Observation date: Oct 01, 2006
Submitted by: John Saba (John Saba)
Region: Pinal County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Dec 01, 2012
Observation date: Aug 04, 2012
Submitted by: vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny)
Region: Perry County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny)
Verified date: Dec 01, 2012
Observation date: Sep 21, 2012
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Sara Bright / Paulette Ogard)
Region: Perry County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny)
Verified date: Dec 01, 2012
Observation date: Oct 13, 2012
Submitted by: aahewetson
Region: Jack County, Texas, United States
Verified by: kmortensen
Verified date: Nov 25, 2012
Observation date: Oct 12, 2012
Submitted by: Jean McLane
Region: Guadalupe County, Texas, United States
Verified by: kmortensen
Verified date: Nov 19, 2012
Observation date: Sep 03, 2012
Submitted by: Pierre Howard
Region: Laurens County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Nov 02, 2012
Observation date: Jun 12, 2011
Submitted by: fishwings
Region: Person County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: harrylegrand
Verified date: Oct 31, 2012
Observation date: Aug 03, 2012
Submitted by: gaudettelaura@h...
Region: Windham County, Vermont, United States
Verified by: Kent McFarland
Verified date: Oct 30, 2012
Observation date: Jul 11, 2012
Submitted by: Nathan Charnock
Region: Bradford County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Oct 24, 2012
Observation date: Jul 03, 2012
Submitted by: khemeon
Region: Rutland County, Vermont, United States
Verified by: Kent McFarland
Verified date: Oct 08, 2012
Observation date: Sep 23, 2012
Submitted by: John Tribe
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Oct 04, 2012
Observation date: Aug 26, 2012
Submitted by: Melinda Fawver
Region: Trousdale County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: stephen stedman
Verified date: Aug 31, 2012
Observation date: Apr 23, 2012
Submitted by: jeffmci9
Region: Texas, Travis County, United States
Verified by: kmortensen
Verified date: Aug 30, 2012
Observation date: Aug 02, 2012
Submitted by: curtis.lehman (James Monroe)
Region: Hancock County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 04, 2012
Observation date: Jun 30, 2012
Submitted by: dfoxmi
Region: Ingham County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: elsner
Verified date: Aug 03, 2012
Observation date: May 02, 2010
Submitted by: fragglecat
Region: DeWitt County, Texas, United States
Verified by: kmortensen
Verified date: Jul 26, 2012
Observation date: Aug 30, 2011
Submitted by: Larry S Price
Region: Pope County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: lorispencer
Verified date: Jul 17, 2012
Observation date: Jul 13, 2012
Submitted by: mark helm
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 16, 2012
Observation date: Jul 04, 2012
Submitted by: Jean McLane
Region: Guadalupe County, Texas, United States
Verified by: kmortensen
Verified date: Jul 10, 2012
Observation date: Jun 28, 2012
Submitted by: diannlynne
Region: Bexar County, Texas, United States
Verified by: kmortensen
Verified date: Jul 01, 2012
Observation date: Jun 11, 2012
Submitted by: whbauer
Region: Bexar County, Texas, United States
Verified by: kmortensen
Verified date: Jul 01, 2012
Observation date: Aug 23, 2005
Submitted by: Eugene Karolinskiy
Region: St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: nathanbrockman
Verified date: May 31, 2012
Observation date: May 15, 2012
Submitted by: AmberOliver
Region: Texas, Somervell County, United States
Verified by: kmortensen
Verified date: May 19, 2012
Observation date: May 15, 2012
Submitted by: karla elston
Region: Erath County, Texas, United States
Verified by: kmortensen
Verified date: May 19, 2012
- ‹ previous
- 24 of 87
- next ›