Viceroy
Limenitis archippus (Cramer, 1776)
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Limenitidinae
Identification: Upperside is orange and black, resembling the Monarch (Danaus plexippus), except the Viceroy has a black line across the hindwing and a single row of white dots in the black marginal band. Where Monarchs are rare in Florida, Georgia, and the Southwest, Viceroys are brown instead of orange and mimic the Queen (Danaus gilippus).
Wing Span: 2 1/2 - 3 3/8 inches (6.3 - 8.6 cm).
Life History: During most of the day, males perch on vegetation or patrol around the host plants to find females. Females lay eggs at the tip of host plant leaves, depositing only two or three eggs on a plant before moving to another. Caterpillars eat their eggshells after they hatch, then at night feed on catkins and leaves. Young caterpillars make a ball of leaf bits, dung, and silk which hangs off the leaf on which they are feeding; the dangling mass may distract predators. Third-stage caterpillars make a shelter from a rolled leaf tip in which to spend the winter. The Viceroy is a Mullerian mimic of the Monarch, and it is also distasteful.
Flight: Two to three broods from May-September in most of its range, all year in Florida.
Caterpillar Hosts: Trees in the willow family (Salicaceae) including willows (Salix), and poplars and cottonwoods (Populus).
Adult Food: Early in the season when few flowers are available Viceroys feed on aphid honeydew, carrion, dung, and decaying fungi. Later generations feed more often at flowers, favoring composites including aster, goldenrod, joe-pye weed, shepherd's needle, and Canada thistle.
Habitat: Moist open or shrubby areas such as lake and swamp edges, willow thickets, valley bottoms, wet meadows, and roadsides.
Range: Northwest Territories south along the eastern edges of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountains to central Mexico, east through all the eastern United States.
Conservation: The Obsolete Viceroy (subspecies obsoleta) has lost much of its habitat due to development, water impoundment, and the exotic aggressive saltcedar.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: Restore riparian habitats in the Southwest. Conserve extant habitats.
Alternate Scientific Names:
Basilarchia archippus
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 49 - 72 of 7658 verified sightings
Observation date: Jun 30, 2017
Submitted by: Puccini
Region: Roberts County, South Dakota, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Sep 21, 2023
Observation date: Jul 07, 2023
Submitted by: heinert
Region: Sioux County, North Dakota, United States
Verified by: stevekohler
Verified date: Sep 12, 2023
Observation date: Sep 10, 2023
Submitted by: Tom Wiseman
Region: Champaign County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 11, 2023
Observation date: Jul 16, 2023
Submitted by: Stephanie Young
Region: Morgan County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 10, 2023
Observation date: Sep 09, 2023
Submitted by: jmgesell
Region: Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 10, 2023
Observation date: Sep 01, 2023
Submitted by: Gordon Berman
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Sep 06, 2023
Observation date: Aug 25, 2023
Submitted by: Bob Jacobson
Region: Chippewa County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Sep 05, 2023
Observation date: Sep 03, 2023
Submitted by: zbeckb
Region: Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 03, 2023
Observation date: Aug 27, 2023
Submitted by: Sue Bocchicchio
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 31, 2023
Observation date: Aug 22, 2023
Submitted by: CL1858
Region: Lake County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 26, 2023
Observation date: Aug 18, 2023
Submitted by: drmarc60223
Region: La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 22, 2023
Observation date: Aug 22, 2023
Submitted by: RLS
Region: Monroe County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 22, 2023
Observation date: Jul 13, 2017
Submitted by: DonDeCamp
Region: Uintah County, Utah, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Aug 21, 2023
Observation date: Aug 19, 2023
Submitted by: cel1gas
Region: New Brunswick, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 20, 2023
Observation date: Aug 14, 2023
Submitted by: DRLem23ME
Region: Kennebec County, Maine, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 15, 2023
Observation date: Aug 08, 2023
Submitted by: Bob Jacobson
Region: Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 11, 2023
Observation date: Aug 03, 2023
Submitted by: tjunderwood
Region: Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 11, 2023
Observation date: Aug 02, 2023
Submitted by: tjunderwood
Region: Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 11, 2023
Observation date: Aug 08, 2023
Submitted by: drmarc60223
Region: Buffalo County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 09, 2023
Observation date: Aug 07, 2023
Submitted by: drmarc60223
Region: La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 09, 2023
Observation date: Jun 05, 2023
Submitted by: rbuist
Region: Manitoba, Canada
Verified by: chalicerae
Verified date: Aug 05, 2023
Observation date: Aug 03, 2023
Submitted by: Sherry in Kansas
Region: Douglas County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Aug 04, 2023
Observation date: Jul 31, 2023
Submitted by: ian pepper
Region: Essex County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 04, 2023
Observation date: Jul 30, 2023
Submitted by: Mendrola
Region: Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 01, 2023
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