Swamp Metalmark

Characterized by an appearance similar to that of the tiger moth caterpillar, the swamp metalmark caterpillar has a green body with black spots and wispy white hairs. Once it matures into a butterfly, the swamp metalmark can be distinguished by its red-brown coloring and by the rows of small, metallic spots and lines on the insect's hind wings. Its abdomen is orange and gray to enable camouflage, and the species sometimes has checkered marks on its wing fringes. Males have pointed forewings while the females' forewings tend to be slightly more rounded. The swamp metalmark's wingspan ranges from 2.4 to 3 cm.

Swamp metalmarks tend to reside in wetlands that contain lots of vegetation. The distribution of the swamp metalmark includes wetlands from the upper Midwest, including the Ohio Valley, through the Ozark Mountain range and into parts of Arizona. Additionally, the distribution of these butterflies can be linked to certain vegetation such as the Cirsium muticum, Cirsium carolinianum, and Cirsium altissimum, also known as the swamp thistle, Carolina thistle, and tall thistle, respectively.

Swamp metalmark eggs are found on the bottom side of host leaves. During the later stages of their development as caterpillars, they overwinter. Adult swamp metalmarks in the North reproduce once between June and August. In the South, two broods are produced between late spring and early fall.