Hindwing uppersides are orange with black submarginal spots in one form, and all black in the other form. Eggs are laid in large groups of 200-500 on bark or the underside of mature leaves of host plants.
Caterpillars eat leaves and young ones feed gregariously.
Third-stage caterpillars hibernate in groups of about 10 inside a dead curled leaf. Tawny Emperors almost never visit flowers. Isolated populations in Florida, southwest New Mexico, and southeastern Arizona. 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.