Size:
Wingspan is 1 3/8 - 2 1/2 inches.

Similar Species:
Tawny Emperor

Habitat:
Found near hackberries, roadsides, woodland edges and bottomlands near brown water.

Range/Abundance:
Common in most of the region.

Flight Period:
Adults fly from mid May until early October in two broods with a gap between broods.

Larval Host Plants:
Hackberries and sugarberries Celtis spp. including Sugar Hackberry Celtis laevigata and Dwarf Hackberry C. tenuifolia

Comments:
Hackberry Emperors can be found feeding on tree sap, carrion, dung, puddles and rotting fruit. They rarely nectar on flowers. They also are attracted to the salts in your sweat and might perch on you allowing very close looks at them.

The top photo was taken in Radford, VA on July 07, 2003. The second photo was taken at Raven Rock State Park in Harnett Co., NC during the summer of 1999. The bottom photo was taken at Hill Forest in Durham Co., NC on September 11, 2004.

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