Underside of hindwing with scattered, olive-green marbling. Some individuals are yellow. Males patrol, mostly in valleys, for females. Eggs are laid singly near tops of host plants.
Young caterpillars feed on flower buds, older ones on flowers and fruits.
Deserts, open woods, orchards, fields, meadows, stream courses, canyons. Alaska coast south to Baja California, east to North Dakota, New Mexico, extreme western Texas. G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery. Opler, P. A. 1999. A field guide to western butterflies.