Asterocampa clyton
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Asterocampa clyton, the tawny emperor, is a species of brush-footed butterfly. It is native to North America, especially the eastern half from Canada to northern Mexico. The tawny emperor should not be mistaken for a very similar Asterocampa butterfly, the hackberry emperor, which can be distinguished by the white spots near the tip of its forewing and the black eyespot lower along the edge of the forewing.
The upperside is mostly dark brown. The forewing is an orange-brown color with pale orange-yellow spots. The underside is mainly gray brown with the forewing having some black and pale yellowish markings. The wingspan measures 2 to 2.6 inches (51 to 66 mm). A dark morph of this species is regionally common with nearly uniformly dark hind wings.
This butterfly may be seen flying near houses, gravel driveways, near water, muddy places, gardens, and woodlands. Its only host plant is hackberry trees. The adult feeds on carrion, plant sap, and dung, and rarely land on flowers.
The female lays clusters of green eggs. The larva is green with yellow, white, or greenish stripes. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 4 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Monterrey | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 6 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Tawny Emperor sighting in Congaree National Park on a given day, based on 21 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 54th most-seen of the 145 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and August–September
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Tawny Emperor in Congaree National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November to March, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Tawny Emperor sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Tawny Emperor sightings, Congaree National Park ranks 2nd at about 20%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Point Pelee National Park (Canada, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Tawny Emperor is recorded against all the insects logged in Congaree National Park (21 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
