Upperside is dark brown with orange markings. Underside of hindwing is orange-brown with a faint band of spots.
Courtship occurs from midday to mid-afternoon.
White, pink, or purple flowers are preferred including purple vetch, red clover, selfheal, dogbane, shrub houstonia, New Jersey tea, and New York ironweed. G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery. Opler, P. A. and G. O. Krizek. Butterflies east of the Great Plains. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.