Underside of hindwing has pale submarginal band narrow or missing. Males patrol for females during warm hours.
Females walk about on the ground to lay single eggs near violets.
First-stage caterpillars do not feed, but overwinter until spring, when they eat young leaves of violets. Nectar from flowers of milkweed and viper's bugloss, among others. Moist prairies, high mountain meadows, openings in barrens, brushland, dry fields, open oak woods, bogs. 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.