Forewing tip squared-off. Upperside is black with a wide orange submarginal band which grades to yellow at the inner edge of band. Eggs are laid in large batches of up to 900 on the underside of host plant leaves. Young caterpillars feed together in a web, while older ones feed alone and make shelters of folded leaves tied with silk.
Adults hibernate, sometimes in small groups.
Two broods from May-October. Wet areas near woodlands, moist pastures, marshes. Boreal North America south of the taiga. Opler, P. A. and G. O. Krizek. Butterflies east of the Great Plains.