Upperside is orange and black. Underside of forewing is yellow-brown with a yellow bar at the cell and small black patches on the inner margin. Underside of hindwing is yellow-brown with rusty markings.
Females lay eggs in large batches on underside of host plant leaves.
Partially-grown caterpillars hibernate. G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery. Opler, P. A. and V. Malikul. A field guide to eastern butterflies. Houghton-Mifflin Co., Boston.