Empress Leilia (Asterocampa leilia [W. H. Edwards])
Wing span: 1 1/2 - 3 inches (3.8 - 7.6 cm).
Identification: Upperside is chestnut brown; forewing has 2 solid brown bars in the cell, median white spots, and 2 black eyespots near the outer margin.
Life history: Males perch most of the day to watch for females. Eggs are laid in groups of 10-15 on the top of host plant leaves. Third-stage caterpillars hibernate.
Flight: All year in South Texas, April-November in Arizona.
Caterpillar hosts: Tree Celtis pallida in the elm family (Ulmaceae).
Adult food: Sap and dung, occasionally flower nectar.
Habitat: Thorn scrub, washes, canyons, streamsides.
Range: Southern Arizona east to South Texas, south to central Mexico.
