Viceroy

Limenitis archippus is resident to all of the eastern United States and southern Canada, west to British Columbia and WA, is patchily distributed in the southwestern US, and ranges to southern Mexico (Scott 1986). Habitats are subtropical to Canadian zone watercourses and deciduous woodlands. Host plants are trees species from families Salicaceae, Betulaceae and Rosaceae. Eggs are laid on the host plant singly. Individuals overwinter as third instar larvae in a rolled leaf hibernaculum. There is a variable number of flights depending on latitude, in the far north of the range there is one flight with approximate times June 10-July31, in the south there are four or more flights from spring to fall (Scott 1986).

Adults eat flower nectar, aphid honeydew, moisture from rotting wood, fungi, dung, mud, sap and other sources. Males both perch and patrol for females (Scott, 1986).