Hackberry Emperor - Alabama Butterfly Atlas

Butterfly: Wingspan: 1¼ - 2½ inches (3.5 - 6.3 cm). The upperside is reddish brown. The forewing has 1 eyespot and a cluster of white spots near the tip. Undersurfaces are more muted in color and the hindwing has a row of yellow-rimmed black spots near the outer edge. Sexes are similarly marked, but females have broader wings.

ID Tip: Dorsal forewing tips are dark with a spangling of white dots and a black eyespot.

Egg: Tiny, creamy white globes laid singly or in very small clusters on host leaves

Caterpillar: Light green with two narrow stripes and numerous yellow spots. Head is dark and bears two stubby, antler-like horns. There is a pair of short tails on the rear. In late fall, half-grown caterpillars turn brown and group together inside curled hackberry leaves. They are the overwintering stage.

Chrysalis: Coloration matches that of a hackberry leaf, to which it is usually attached. There is a ridged back and a sharp horn on the head.

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Hackberry Emperors often hitchhike on sweaty arms or perspiration-soaked clothing. Males are territorial and stake out particular perches, returning to the same one again and again. Females typically remain higher in trees. These butterflies often perch head down on the sides of various vertical surfaces: tree trunks, buildings, fence posts, Hackberry Emperors rarely nectar at flowers, preferring sap, fruit, detritus, and damp dirt instead.

Look for Hackberry Emperors wherever significant stands of hackberry trees occur. They are widespread in Alabama, and it is expected that they will eventually be documented in every county in the state.

A dot on the county map indicates that there is at least one documented record of the species within that county. In some cases, a species may be common throughout the county, in others it may be found in only a specific habitat. The High Count information shows the highest numbers recorded for this species as well as when and where they occurred.

The sightings bar graphs depict the timing of flight(s) within each of three geographic regions. Place your cursor on a bar within the graph to see the number of individuals recorded during that period.

The abundance calendar displays the total number of individuals recorded within each week of the month. Both the graphs and the calendar are on based data collection that began in 2000.

The records analyzed here are only a beginning. As more data is collected, these maps and graphs will paint a more accurate picture of distribution and abundance in Alabama. Submit your sightings to albutterflyatlas@gmail.com.

Sightings in the following counties: Autauga, Baldwin, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Chilton, Choctaw, Clarke, Clay, Cleburne, Coffee, Colbert, Cullman, Dale, Dallas, DeKalb, Elmore, Escambia, Etowah, Franklin, Geneva, Greene, Hale, Henry, Houston, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Lowndes, Macon, Madison, Marengo, Marion, Marshall, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Randolph, Shelby, St. Clair, Sumter, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker, Washington, Wilcox, Winston

Sightings in the past 5 years
Sightings in the past 5 - 10 years
Sightings more than 10 years ago

High count(s):

150 - Clarke - 9/6/2017
105 - Lawrence - 9/2/2013
73 - Lawrence - 5/5/2012

View county names by moving the mouse over a county or view a map with county names

Jan				Feb				Mar				Apr				May				Jun				Jul				Aug				Sep				Oct				Nov				Dec
1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4
												1	7	7	54	139	72	95	179	64	58	61	115	249	203	122	210	68	185	174	277	468	203	88	100	28	6	15		1

Deciduous woodlands and woodland edges, costal scrub, bottomlands, parks, urban and suburban landscapes.

Various hackberries (Celtis spp.) are reported throughout the range.

The following has been documented in Alabama:

Hackberry spp. (Celtis spp.) - Host Plant

For more information about these plants, please visit the Alabama Plant Atlas using the links above.

Include hackberry trees in the landscape to provide caterpillar food for at least six butterfly species, including Hackberry Emperors. According to author and entomologist Doug Tallamy, the genus supports as many as 43 species of lepidopteran caterpillars. Fruit-eating birds devour the berries, while insect-eaters find plenty of small bugs on the leaves. It is considered one of the best food and shelter trees for wildlife.

Hackberries are used as shade trees and grow well in urban landscapes. One established, they are extremely drought tolerant and adapt to a wide range of soil conditions, including alkalinity. A mature hackberry's warty bark provides winter interest. If your landscape has no room for a canopy tree, cut your hackberry back when it gets too tall. Several butterfly species will make use of the fresh foliage that sprouts from the trunk.

Hackberry Emperor (Asterocampa celtis) Photos

Click on individual photos to view a larger version that includes photo credits, county, and date.
Photos with comments are indicated by a small, tan dot on the bottom right.