I posted a lousy photograph of this species earlier this summer, but this one’s much better.
Credit to ON1 Photo Raw for magically erasing a lot of cobwebs!
Interesting reading about this butterfly at iNaturalist (from Wikipedia): “The hackberry tree is the only host plant for A. celtis and is the food source for larvae.
“The hackberry emperor is known for being a quick, mercurial butterfly. It often is found along water sources and lowlands, although it lives in a broad range of habitats. Another notable characteristic is that it rarely is spotted visiting a flower, which is considered unusual for a butterfly.
“Species in the genus Asterocampa are regarded as being ‘cheater’ organisms, since these butterflies do not pollinate flowers when they feed from them. This species can more accurately be described as parasitizing their hosts and plant food sources since they extract nutrients without providing any benefits to the host.”
But they are pretty. :)
» ID’ed as Asterocampa celtis or “Hackberry Emperor”: [ BAMONA ] [ iNaturalist ]
» Submitted as Asterocampa celtis or “Hackberry Emperor”: [ BugGuide ]
» Species pages: [ BAMONA ] [ BugGuide ] [ iNaturalist ] [ UK Butterflies ]
Retired economics professor (“dismal scientist”). Married 40+ years to the love of my life; we have two grown daughters, both married, two granddaughters and a...
