[10] They can be found almost anywhere there is decaying vegetation: landfills, temperate deciduous forests, swamps, and even shaded fields.

[9] The best way to identify the species is by the distinct pattern on its wings, which are shiny and dark brown with a hyaline background.

[9] Females will lay up to 500 eggs in decaying herbaceous plant matter, which then hatch into larvae in 4 to 6 days.

[9] The development is affected by the amount of daylight: D. picta is a multivoltine species with one generation going from May to July and the other overwintering as mature larvae.

[9] Among the plants it associates with are black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides),[10] and saw palmetto (Serenoa repens).