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 49 - 72 of 2055 verified sightings
Observation date: Sep 19, 2020
Submitted by: Graywing
Region: Nuevo Leon, Mexico
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Jan 26, 2023
Observation date: Sep 06, 2022
Submitted by: bchensel
Region: Cabarrus County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Nov 01, 2022
Observation date: Jul 10, 2021
Submitted by: MPort
Region: Harris County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 09, 2022
Observation date: Sep 11, 2022
Submitted by: Ken Cheeks
Region: Edgefield County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Sep 18, 2022
Observation date: Sep 04, 2022
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 06, 2022
Observation date: Sep 04, 2022
Submitted by: Drakepa
Region: Blount County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Sep 04, 2022
Observation date: Aug 29, 2022
Submitted by: James Steen
Region: Harvey County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Aug 30, 2022
Observation date: Jul 14, 2022
Submitted by: Jay Brasher
Region: Lincoln County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Aug 29, 2022
Observation date: Aug 25, 2022
Submitted by: ButterBelle
Region: Knox County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Aug 26, 2022
Observation date: Apr 22, 2020
Submitted by: RobinRich720
Region: Harris County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 23, 2022
Observation date: Jul 03, 2022
Submitted by: Jay Brasher
Region: Lincoln County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Aug 21, 2022
Observation date: Jul 01, 2022
Submitted by: Jay Brasher
Region: Lincoln County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Aug 21, 2022
Observation date: Jul 03, 2022
Submitted by: Jay Brasher
Region: Lincoln County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Aug 21, 2022
Observation date: Aug 12, 2022
Submitted by: bchensel
Region: Miami County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 18, 2022
Observation date: Aug 10, 2022
Submitted by: Mendrola
Region: Rockingham County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Aug 14, 2022
Observation date: Aug 09, 2022
Submitted by: JamieLynn
Region: Aiken County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 09, 2022
Observation date: Jul 03, 2022
Submitted by: Mendrola
Region: Page County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Aug 07, 2022
Observation date: Jul 01, 2022
Submitted by: Lynn D
Region: Madison County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Aug 07, 2022
Observation date: Jul 14, 1974
Submitted by: James Steen
Region: Reno County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Aug 02, 2022
Observation date: Jul 26, 2022
Submitted by: Christine Stanke
Region: Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 27, 2022
Observation date: Jun 26, 2022
Submitted by: MimTruax
Region: Washington County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 20, 2022
Observation date: Jul 17, 2022
Submitted by: sgensits
Region: Leon County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jul 17, 2022
Observation date: Jun 23, 2022
Submitted by: pkondrashov
Region: Adair County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jun 23, 2022
Observation date: Jun 18, 2022
Submitted by: Brian Ahern
Region: Polk County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jun 20, 2022
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