357 Records

The Hackberry Emperor (Asterocampa celtis) is a member of a small genus of butterflies closely associated with hackberries (Celtis sp.) Emperors seldom visit flowers, but are often attracted to rotten fruit, animal scat, or sap. They have a persistent habit of basking vertically, with the wings open, on tree trunks and other surfaces near their host species. They have a distinctively rapid manner of flight, and can be recognized in flight with some experience. They fly in two broods, in June to mid-July, and again from mid-August to mid-September (Butterflies of Maryland: A Biological Summary and Checklist by Lynn Davidson & Richard Smith).

Similar to Tawny Emperor, with dark veins and pale spots on the wings. May be distinguished from Tawny by noting the presence of one or two conspicuous submarginal eyespots on the forewing (lacking on Tawny), and by the broken bar marking within cell of forewing (Tawny shows two complete bars here).

Utilizes Common Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) and Dwarf Hackberry (C. tenuifolia) as larval hosts.