Forewings are mostly black with cream-colored costal border and lines extending from base in males.
Hindwings are variable in color but usually they are reddish or yellow and show a row of large black spots in median area.
Females have a quite reduced set of pale lines on the forewings and the hindwings have broad black bands in the subterminal area.
The larvae feed on a wide range of herbaceous and woody plants, including grasses, violets, plantain and clover.
[3][4] This species can be found in North America from Quebec and Maine, south to Florida, and west to Texas and South Dakota.