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 193 - 216 of 2078 verified sightings
Observation date: Jun 15, 2020
Submitted by: k.d.stutzman
Region: Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jun 28, 2020
Observation date: Jun 15, 2019
Submitted by: reupurtbones
Region: Metcalfe County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: BGilley
Verified date: Jun 23, 2020
Observation date: Jun 22, 2020
Submitted by: StacyN
Region: Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jun 22, 2020
Observation date: Jun 16, 2020
Submitted by: Colleen K
Region: Robertson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Jun 18, 2020
Observation date: Jun 17, 2020
Submitted by: Pamela D. Fisher
Region: Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jun 18, 2020
Observation date: Jun 12, 2020
Submitted by: Mark Salvato
Region: Indian River County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jun 14, 2020
Observation date: May 23, 2020
Submitted by: schaarschmidt
Region: Georgia, Walker County, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: May 28, 2020
Observation date: May 08, 2020
Submitted by: wdgranger
Region: Texas, Williamson County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: May 08, 2020
Observation date: Sep 15, 2019
Submitted by: MRamsdell1967
Region: Hamilton County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: May 04, 2020
Observation date: Aug 20, 2010
Submitted by: C. West
Region: Shelby County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: Howell_Curtis
Verified date: Mar 29, 2020
Observation date: Jul 07, 2019
Submitted by: jsearight
Region: Dane County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Mar 03, 2020
Observation date: Jun 29, 2019
Submitted by: kmniebur
Region: Madison County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Nov 16, 2019
Observation date: Oct 04, 2019
Submitted by: BernieM
Region: Texas, Travis County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Oct 24, 2019
Observation date: Aug 04, 2019
Submitted by: Babo
Region: Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Oct 24, 2019
Observation date: Sep 16, 2017
Submitted by: NaturallyWade
Region: Aiken County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Oct 19, 2019
Observation date: Oct 15, 2019
Submitted by: Michael Weisensee
Region: Sarasota County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Oct 15, 2019
Observation date: Oct 15, 2019
Submitted by: Michael Weisensee
Region: Sarasota County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Oct 15, 2019
Observation date: Sep 19, 2019
Submitted by: RMN
Region: Shelby County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Sep 28, 2019
Observation date: Sep 10, 2019
Submitted by: tfandre
Region: Dallas County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Sep 28, 2019
Observation date: Sep 17, 2019
Submitted by: Little Metal Weirdo
Region: Faulkner County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Sep 24, 2019
Observation date: Sep 22, 2019
Submitted by: cosmic_cat
Region: Gregg County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Sep 22, 2019
Observation date: Sep 14, 2019
Submitted by: rdubtx
Region: Collin County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Sep 20, 2019
Observation date: Sep 11, 2019
Submitted by: RMN
Region: Shelby County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Sep 14, 2019
Observation date: Sep 12, 2019
Submitted by: RMN
Region: Shelby County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Sep 14, 2019
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