Range:
This species ranges from southern Alaska and most of Canada south to Oregon,
through the Intermountain and Rocky Mountain states to central Utah and Colorado,
through the Dakotas, the Midwest, and the northeastern U.S., extending south
as far as Tennessee. In Idaho, it
occurs mainly in the panhandle region but also in isolated patches of the southern
half of the state.
Habitat:
Its primary habitat is deciduous forests, but it may also
utilize coniferous forests and canyonlands.
Diet:
Caterpillar:
Caterpillars feed in groups on the leaves of deciduous trees and shrubs including
birch (Betula spp.), willow (Salix spp.), aspen and cottonwood
(Populus spp.), and elm (Ulmus spp.).
Adult:
Butterflies feed on sap, fruit, and sometimes flower nectar.
Ecology:
There is one generation of caterpillars each summer. Adults
fly from June until
late fall then overwinter, often in groups, in a physiological state called
diapause. In spring, they emerge to
mate and lay eggs, flying until June. Some adults may migrate to California and Florida. Butterflies
may occur in large numbers in a given area one year and few to none may be observed
the next.
Reproduction:
It is currently unreported in the scientific literature whether males perch
or actively patrol
for females; however, males of the other Nymphalis species are reported
to perch. Females lay small groups of eggs on host plants
.
Conservation:
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Global Rank: | G5; populations are widespread, abundant, and secure. |
Opler, P. A., H. Pavulaan, and R. E. Stanford. 1995. Butterflies of North America. Jamestown, North Dakota, USA: Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Home Page. http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/bflyusa/bflyusa.htm (Version 05Nov98).
Opler, P. A. and A. B.Wright. 1999. A Field Guide to the Western Butterflies. Second Edition. Peterson Field Guide Series. Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, New York, USA, 540 pp.
Pyle, R. M. 1981. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Butterflies. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York, New York, USA, 924 pp.
Scott, J. A. 1986. The Butterflies of North America. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California, USA, 583 pp.
Stanford, R. E. and P. A. Opler. 1993. Atlas of Western U.S.A. Butterflies (Including Adjacent Parts of Canada and Mexico). Published by authors, Denver, Colorado, USA, 275 pp.