Behr's Metalmark (Apodemia virgulti Behr)
Wing span: 3/4 - 15/16 inch (19 - 24 cm).
Identification: Upperside red-brown to black, checkered with black and white spots. Brick-red patch on forewing [absent or nearly so in subspecies dialeucoides. Hindwing often has brick-red patch on hindwing. Underside gray with white spots.
Life history: Males perch in hillside hollows to watch for females. Eggs are laid in groups of 2-4 on lower leaves of host plant, or singly on other parts of plant. Caterpillars rest during the day in shelters of leaves tied together with silk.
Flight: March - Sept. (1-2 flights), all year in coastal San Diego County, Calif.
Caterpillar hosts: Most often Fasciculate Buckwheat, but Wright's Buckwheat for subspecies dialeuca and dialeucoides.
Adult food: Nectar from flowers of Eriogonum and other plants.
Habitat: Various arid lands: rocky hills, chaparral, dunes.
Range: Cen. Calif. south to cen. Baja Calif.
