Upperside is black to dark orange-brown with yellow, red, and sometimes white spots. Underside with yellow and orange-red bands. Males perch or patrol all day for females. Eggs are laid in large groups on underside of leaves of host plants.
Caterpillars feed together on leaves, flowers, or bracts in a silk nest.
Caterpillars in high elevations can hibernate for several years. June-July in the north and higher elevations. Several flights from April-October in western Arizona, southern Nevada, and the Mojave Desert. Sagebrush flats, chaparral, desert hills, high prairie, open forest, alpine tundra. G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.