It is found in the United States in isolated colonies in peninsular Florida, the Gulf Coast, south-east North Dakota south to southern Texas and the Colorado Front Range.

It is considered possibly extirpated from New York, Minnesota, Wyoming, Illinois, North and South Carolina, Alabama, Iowa, Georgia, and Montana, and definitely so from Pennsylvania.

There is one generation with adults on wing from June to July in the north and west.

There are two subspecies: The larvae feed on Andropogon gerardi, Panicum, Calamovilfa brevipilis and other grasses.

Adults feed on the nectar from flowers of purple vetch, Canada thistle, dogbane, stiff coreopsis, purple coneflower, green milkweed and ox-eye daisy.