These butterflies usually inhabit sagebrush, dry woodland, edge of forests, chaparral and grassy hillsides.

In these large and widespread butterflies the color of the upperside of the wings varies from tawny to bright red-brown with black evenly-spaced zigzag stripes.

The entire outer contour is black-brown, divided by a row of pale lunules.

The underside of the forewings is red fawn, with the same design as above, and a series of marginal silver lunules.

[1][3] In the last stage the larvae are greyish, with black and grey patches and black-orange spines.