Hackberry Emperor

The hackberry emperor is found across a wide range within North America. It has been observed as far south as central Mexico and north into parts of Eastern Canada. Its range extends to the southwest into regions like Arizona, New Mexico, and other parts of the Rockies, as shown by the map. It can commonly be found across the Midwest and especially along the east coast from Florida up to New England.

Male searching behavior in butterflies generally falls into two different strategies. One strategy is to actively patrol an area for females. Patrollers are attracted to still objects that resemble a mate. The other strategy is to perch. Perchers typically spend only part of the day actively looking for a mate. They sit perched upon a branch waiting for a female to fly by. When a male sees movement nearby it will quickly fly out to attempt to mate, but stay within a limited habitat. A. celtis exhibit perching behavior. The male rests on rocks, trees, or fallen branches often along streams from the afternoon until around sundown.