Violets are not actively growing in late summer when the eggs are laid, so the female butterfly drops to the ground every 30 yards or so to deposit eggs on various drying prairie plants. Their activity appears random, but violets are the only acceptable larval host. Eggs lay dormant in the vegetation through the winter and hatch in early spring when the violets begin to grow. It is not easy to find the young caterpillars as they generally feed at night to avoid predators. They grow very quickly if violets are abundant, then pupate in the prairie vegetation.
Adults feed on nectar from milkweeds, thistles, clover and other prairie flowers.
Males emerge a week or more earlier than females. The female flight is from early July to mid-August. During mid-summer males are active in late morning and early afternoon. They can be seen searching for females. Their flight is low and steady.