Underside white with black spot pattern. Hindwing above and below with red-orange submarginal band. Males patrol near hosts for females. Eggs are laid singly on leaves or flowers of host plants.
Caterpillars feed on leaves, flowers, and developing seeds, and are tended by ants.
Second-stage caterpillars hibernate. Many flights from March-October. Desert, fields, prairie hills, weedy areas, road edges. Precise limits in neighboring Oregon and Nevada not ascertained. G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.