Tag: Hackberry Emperor

  • A Brown Butterfly

    A Hackberry Emperor (Asterocampa celtis), yes brown, but a butterfly not a moth. The adult Hackberry Emperor feeds on sap, scat, decaying animals, old fruit, and the nectar of Hackberry flowers. ________________________________ If you would like to receive my daily blog posts by email, sign up here!

  • Similar Butterflies

    Hackberry Emperor (Asterocampa celtis) Tawny Emperor (Asterocampa clyton) Two butterflies that are closely related. Their larvae both have, as their host plant, Hackberry trees (Celtis). The hungry larvae will concentrate on eating the leaves of the Hackberry trees at different times. Hackberry Emperor larvae will eat new foliage and the older leaves will be eaten…

  • Dots Dots And More Dots

    So many dots on the Hackberry Emperor (Asterocampa celtis). Host plant? Of course it is Hackberry trees (Celtis). As adults the butterflies live 6 to 14 days. During that very short period of time they seldom visit flowers for sustenance but instead get nutrients from rotting fruits and vegetables, carrion, scat, damp sand, tree sap…