Another Royal Sighting

In the Order of Lepidoptera, there are two royal lineages. The best known is the Monarch. Then there are the Monarch's cousin, the Queen, and the royal wanna be, the Viceroy (really nothing more than a mimic). There are also the Emperors: the Tawny Emperor and its cousins the Hackberry Emperor and the Empress Leilia.

The larval host plants for both the Tawny and Hackberry Emperors are Sugar Hackberry and Netleaf Hackberry trees. Empress Leilia's larval host plant is Spiny Hackberry, more commonly known as Granjeno here in South Texas.

This Tawny Emperor was fluttering through the brush along the trail until it landed to bask in the warmth of the sun on a Velvet-leaf Mallow:

This set of photographs was taken on the Water Loop Trail at Hardberger Park on Monday, October 14, 2013.