# 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.

- **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.

## About

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.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/68b76adc-fa73-4b5e-b5c6-95ff687f4349
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/68264
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asterocampa celtis
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/93637447/medium.jpeg (yajapin, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.