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 217 - 240 of 2078 verified sightings
Observation date: Sep 07, 2019
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Laurens County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Sep 13, 2019
Observation date: Sep 10, 2019
Submitted by: Ohio97
Region: Hamilton County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 11, 2019
Observation date: Aug 11, 2018
Submitted by: Debo Boddiford
Region: Barnwell County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Sep 11, 2019
Observation date: Sep 02, 2019
Submitted by: Ohio97
Region: Hamilton County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 03, 2019
Observation date: Aug 31, 2019
Submitted by: WINGSaloftinKS
Region: Douglas County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Sep 01, 2019
Observation date: Aug 30, 2019
Submitted by: Carolyn Seaton
Region: Lancaster County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 31, 2019
Observation date: Aug 25, 2019
Submitted by: ButterBelle
Region: Knox County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Aug 28, 2019
Observation date: Aug 26, 2019
Submitted by: ChrissyL
Region: Sullivan County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Aug 28, 2019
Observation date: Aug 23, 2019
Submitted by: WINGSaloftinKS
Region: Douglas County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 24, 2019
Observation date: Aug 23, 2019
Submitted by: WINGSaloftinKS
Region: Douglas County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 24, 2019
Observation date: Aug 23, 2019
Submitted by: Mapper
Region: Johnson County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 23, 2019
Observation date: Aug 21, 2019
Submitted by: SDLovell
Region: Delaware County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: Howell_Curtis
Verified date: Aug 21, 2019
Observation date: Aug 20, 2019
Submitted by: SDLovell
Region: Delaware County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: Howell_Curtis
Verified date: Aug 21, 2019
Observation date: Aug 16, 2019
Submitted by: lhyzz
Region: Marion County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: Howell_Curtis
Verified date: Aug 20, 2019
Observation date: Aug 10, 2019
Submitted by: Lynea
Region: Indiana, United States
Verified by: Howell_Curtis
Verified date: Aug 10, 2019
Observation date: Apr 01, 2017
Submitted by: Craig M Lipski
Region: Hidalgo County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 08, 2019
Observation date: Aug 04, 2019
Submitted by: Shepherd1
Region: Comal County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 04, 2019
Observation date: Jul 16, 2019
Submitted by: Janbarie
Region: Williamson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Aug 02, 2019
Observation date: Aug 28, 2018
Submitted by: Sea of Hope Aca...
Region: Johnson County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Aug 01, 2019
Observation date: Jul 27, 2019
Submitted by: loyallonghorn
Region: Fort Bend County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jul 31, 2019
Observation date: Jul 27, 2019
Submitted by: robert.emond
Region: Leon County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jul 30, 2019
Observation date: Jul 25, 2019
Submitted by: Bluefox122
Region: Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 29, 2019
Observation date: Jul 17, 2019
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 28, 2019
Observation date: Jul 25, 2019
Submitted by: pachips
Region: Bedford County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 28, 2019
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