Hackberry emperor
Asterocampa celtis
Butterfly
Quick, tawny-brown woodland butterfly whose breeding biology is tied to hackberries (Celtis). Females lay clusters of eggs on hackberry leaves, larvae feed on hackberry foliage and buds, and half-grown caterpillars overwinter in fallen hackberry leaves before climbing back into the host tree in spring. Adults rarely visit flowers; they feed instead on tree sap, rotting fruit, carrion, dung, puddles, and mineral sources, and often patrol around damp woodland edges.
Conservation
NatureServe global rank Secure (G5); common through much of its range and not a formal conservation concern. The habitat lever is specific but simple: plant and retain native hackberries, and leave some leaf litter beneath them for overwintering larvae.
Plants in the catalog
Larval host plants · 1
Hackberry emperor larvae feed on hackberries (Celtis); common hackberry is the direct host-tree relationship that makes this species supportable in eastern and central gardens.
Range
Eastern and central North America from parts of southern Canada through much of the United States to central Mexico, following the distribution of hackberry trees.
Sources & citations
Cite this page
Use this citation for the Plotwright wildlife page. The source cards below show the upstream references behind the taxonomy, range, conservation, host, forage, and habitat claims.
Plotwright. (n.d.). Hackberry emperor (Asterocampa celtis). Retrieved 2026, June 27, from https://plotwright.com/wildlife/hackberry-emperor
Sources for wildlife facts
11 cited fact fields are backed by the source cards below.
Butterflies and Moths of North America: Hackberry emperor
Species profile for range, hackberry host dependence, adult feeding, and life cycle.
Backs 5 fields
Taxonomy
Range
Lifecycle
Host plants
Foraging
Wikipedia: Asterocampa celtis
Corroborating reference for hackberry-only larval feeding, sap/fruit/carrion/dung adult feeding, and secure conservation context.
Backs 6 fields
Taxonomy
Range
Conservation status
Lifecycle
Host plants
Foraging