Identification: Upper surface is creamy white with indented black borders which outline a "dog's head" on forewings; more pronounced in male. Hindwing with projecting tail-like points.

Flight: Midsummer to fall as vagrant, all year in tropics.

Wing span: 1 3/4 - 2 1/2 inches (4.4 - 6.3 cm).

Caterpillar hosts: Acacia and Diphysa in the pea family (Fabaceae).

Adult food: Nectar from a wide variety of flowers.

Habitat: Open, dry areas Found in moister areas in Mexico and Central America.

Range: Resident from Central America north to South Texas and the Southwest; common vagrant in Great Plains and Southwest deserts; rare migrant to Mississippi, Arkansas, Illinois, and Michigan.