Their range is wide, from South America to southern Canada, in particular southwestern Ontario.

[4] They are most common from Argentina to southern Texas, Georgia, and Florida, but are often visitors outside this range becoming more rare further north.

The common habitats of this butterfly are open spaces, gardens, glades, seashores, and watercourses.

Once the egg hatches, a caterpillar emerges that is yellow to greenish, striped on sides, with black dots in rows across the back.

From the chrysalis comes a medium-sized butterfly (55–70 mm (2.2–2.8 in)) with fairly elongated but not angled wings.