Ten days ago Marcy Cunkelman flipped over a leaf and showed us two hundred tiny emperors.

The squiggly green lines are caterpillars of the Tawny Emperor butterfly (Asterocampa clyton) eating the mature leaves on a hackberry tree. They also feed on other trees in the elm family (Celtis).

At this stage the caterpillars huddle and move together for protection but after the third instar they travel alone.

Eventually each caterpillar spins a cocoon and pupates into a butterfly that looks like this:

The butterflies don’t visit flowers. Instead they feed on rotting fruit, dung, carrion and tree sap … an odd feast for an emperor.

(photo of caterpillars by Kate St. John, photo of butterfly from Wikimedia Commons)