Hackberry Emperor
Asterocampa celtis
Unlike most butterflies, the Hackberry Emperor rarely visits flowers, preferring to feast on rotting fruit, sap, and minerals from damp soil.
- Scientific name
- Asterocampa celtis
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Lepidoptera › Nymphalidae › Asterocampa
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Deciduous forests, wooded river valleys, and suburban parks containing hackberry trees.
- Diet
- Adults feed on tree sap, rotting fruit, carrion, dung, and sweat; larvae feed exclusively on the leaves of Hackberry (Celtis) trees.
- Range
- Eastern United States, Midwestern United States, Northern Mexico
- Size
- Wingspan of 3.5 to 6.3 cm (1.4 to 2.5 inches).
- Lifespan
- 1 to 2 weeks as an adult; approximately 1 year total life cycle.
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Local loss of host hackberry trees, pesticide application, and habitat fragmentation.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. These inquisitive butterflies are known to land directly on humans to sip minerals from sweat. If one lands on you, remain still and enjoy the encounter; they do not bite, sting, or carry venom. No safety distance is required.
Asterocampa celtis , the hackberry emperor , is a North American butterfly that belongs to the brushfooted butterfly family, Nymphalidae. It gets its name from the hackberry tree ( Celtis occidentalis and others in the genus Celtis ) upon which it lays its eggs. The hackberry tree is the only host plant for A. celtis and is the food source for larvae.
Photo: yajapin, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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