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 145 - 168 of 2072 verified sightings
Observation date: Oct 29, 2020
Submitted by: gpstewart
Region: Hidalgo County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jan 01, 2021
Observation date: Sep 21, 2018
Submitted by: mpavlo
Region: Petersburg, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Dec 31, 2020
Observation date: Jul 20, 2020
Submitted by: Wild Ideas
Region: Rappahannock County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Dec 30, 2020
Observation date: Jun 26, 2014
Submitted by: Wade Wander
Region: Sussex County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Dec 29, 2020
Observation date: Aug 22, 2015
Submitted by: Dave Fairall
Region: Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 10, 2020
Observation date: Aug 14, 2015
Submitted by: Beagleye
Region: Madison County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 10, 2020
Observation date: Aug 09, 2019
Submitted by: Eric Wood
Region: Mills County, Iowa, United States
Verified by: Eric Wood
Verified date: Dec 09, 2020
Observation date: Aug 22, 2015
Submitted by: Dave Fairall
Region: Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 09, 2020
Observation date: Aug 22, 2015
Submitted by: Dave Fairall
Region: Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 09, 2020
Observation date: Sep 04, 2015
Submitted by: Carolyn Seaton
Region: Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 09, 2020
Observation date: Aug 26, 2018
Submitted by: iinv003
Region: Union County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Dec 07, 2020
Observation date: Jul 12, 2007
Submitted by: mothman27
Region: Whitley County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Dec 03, 2020
Observation date: Aug 30, 2017
Submitted by: SowdersT
Region: Marion County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Dec 03, 2020
Observation date: Aug 29, 2020
Submitted by: Colleen K
Region: Robertson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Nov 28, 2020
Observation date: Oct 03, 2020
Submitted by: Colleen
Region: Texas, Llano County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Oct 29, 2020
Observation date: Oct 05, 2020
Submitted by: Englishman
Region: Bossier Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 12, 2020
Observation date: Nov 02, 2013
Submitted by: mrose821
Region: Hidalgo County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Oct 08, 2020
Observation date: Jul 24, 2020
Submitted by: Christine Stanke
Region: Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Oct 04, 2020
Observation date: Aug 02, 2020
Submitted by: loyallonghorn
Region: Fort Bend County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Sep 16, 2020
Observation date: Sep 06, 2020
Submitted by: Babo
Region: Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 07, 2020
Observation date: Aug 30, 2020
Submitted by: Eric Wood
Region: Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 05, 2020
Observation date: Jul 15, 2008
Submitted by: cjbruchman
Region: Ogle County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 02, 2020
Observation date: Aug 12, 2020
Submitted by: TitaniumNinja
Region: Dallas County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 18, 2020
Observation date: Jul 31, 2020
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Lenawee County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 16, 2020
- ‹ previous
- 7 of 87
- next ›