Viceroy
Limenitis archippus (Cramer, 1776)
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Limenitidinae
Identification: Upperside is orange and black, resembling the Monarch (Danaus plexippus), except the Viceroy has a black line across the hindwing and a single row of white dots in the black marginal band. Where Monarchs are rare in Florida, Georgia, and the Southwest, Viceroys are brown instead of orange and mimic the Queen (Danaus gilippus).
Wing Span: 2 1/2 - 3 3/8 inches (6.3 - 8.6 cm).
Life History: During most of the day, males perch on vegetation or patrol around the host plants to find females. Females lay eggs at the tip of host plant leaves, depositing only two or three eggs on a plant before moving to another. Caterpillars eat their eggshells after they hatch, then at night feed on catkins and leaves. Young caterpillars make a ball of leaf bits, dung, and silk which hangs off the leaf on which they are feeding; the dangling mass may distract predators. Third-stage caterpillars make a shelter from a rolled leaf tip in which to spend the winter. The Viceroy is a Mullerian mimic of the Monarch, and it is also distasteful.
Flight: Two to three broods from May-September in most of its range, all year in Florida.
Caterpillar Hosts: Trees in the willow family (Salicaceae) including willows (Salix), and poplars and cottonwoods (Populus).
Adult Food: Early in the season when few flowers are available Viceroys feed on aphid honeydew, carrion, dung, and decaying fungi. Later generations feed more often at flowers, favoring composites including aster, goldenrod, joe-pye weed, shepherd's needle, and Canada thistle.
Habitat: Moist open or shrubby areas such as lake and swamp edges, willow thickets, valley bottoms, wet meadows, and roadsides.
Range: Northwest Territories south along the eastern edges of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountains to central Mexico, east through all the eastern United States.
Conservation: The Obsolete Viceroy (subspecies obsoleta) has lost much of its habitat due to development, water impoundment, and the exotic aggressive saltcedar.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: Restore riparian habitats in the Southwest. Conserve extant habitats.
Alternate Scientific Names:
Basilarchia archippus
Scudder, 1872
Get your BAMONA Gear!
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 73 - 96 of 7630 verified sightings
Observation date: Apr 30, 2019
Submitted by: jmzcostello
Region: Hamilton County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Feb 12, 2023
Observation date: Sep 15, 2019
Submitted by: hockeybruce7
Region: Monroe County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Feb 04, 2023
Observation date: Sep 01, 2021
Submitted by: Brynne Bryan
Region: Denton County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jan 18, 2023
Observation date: Aug 31, 2022
Submitted by: Tammarazzi
Region: Manitoba, Canada
Verified by: chalicerae
Verified date: Nov 30, 2022
Observation date: Nov 17, 2022
Submitted by: Bill Uttenweiler
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Nov 18, 2022
Observation date: Oct 18, 2022
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Charleston County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Oct 21, 2022
Observation date: Oct 08, 2022
Submitted by: D Grimes
Region: Brooks County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Oct 15, 2022
Observation date: Sep 01, 2022
Submitted by: jrtindall
Region: Mercer County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: Allen B
Verified date: Oct 03, 2022
Observation date: Sep 23, 2022
Submitted by: Ohio97
Region: Montgomery County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: Ohio97
Verified date: Sep 25, 2022
Observation date: Sep 03, 2016
Submitted by: Smalltowngirl
Region: Hawkins County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Sep 20, 2022
Observation date: Sep 17, 2022
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Calhoun County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Sep 20, 2022
Observation date: Sep 16, 2022
Submitted by: KABerry
Region: Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 18, 2022
Observation date: Sep 09, 2022
Submitted by: mikeminium
Region: Kankakee County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 16, 2022
Observation date: Sep 14, 2022
Submitted by: louisianashorty
Region: St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 16, 2022
Observation date: Sep 07, 2022
Submitted by: mashoop58
Region: Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Sep 09, 2022
Observation date: Sep 08, 2022
Submitted by: RLS
Region: Monroe County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Sep 09, 2022
Observation date: Sep 08, 2022
Submitted by: Katelbr
Region: Story County, Iowa, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Sep 08, 2022
Observation date: Jul 26, 2022
Submitted by: commentator
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Sep 08, 2022
Observation date: Sep 05, 2022
Submitted by: billd
Region: Kingfisher County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 06, 2022
Observation date: Sep 03, 2022
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 04, 2022
Observation date: Sep 03, 2022
Submitted by: jpg15109
Region: Montgomery County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 04, 2022
Observation date: Sep 03, 2022
Submitted by: mtobin11
Region: Lake County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 03, 2022
Observation date: Aug 28, 2022
Submitted by: Marquy275
Region: Wayne County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: elsner
Verified date: Sep 01, 2022
Observation date: Aug 31, 2022
Submitted by: Christine Stanke
Region: Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Sep 01, 2022
- ‹ previous
- 4 of 318
- next ›