How to Chase Down Willow Trees

A male Viceroy (Limenitis archippus). Boone Lake, TN

The Viceroy, is a beautiful, bright-orange butterfly often seen cartwheeling over moist meadows all across the nation. Although they look remarkably similar to the iconic, migratory monarch butterflies (a toxic relative), viceroys are technically an admiral. But this Mullerian similarity often berates the animal itself; since they are always compared to monarchs, viceroys are seldom appreciated for their own niches. If you’re lucky enough to cross paths with the butterfly, there is a lot to be deduced from the situation, and they'll often lead you to some impressive habitat. Viceroys prefer to lay their eggs on willow trees, Salix spp.; particularly Salix sericea in the mountains and S. nigra at lower elevations, at least throughout most of the Appalachian Mountains. 

Silky Willow (Salix sericea). Roan Mountain State Park, TN

Salicylic acid (C₇H₆O₃), an active chemical in willow bark (most effective if it’s made into tea), can be used to substitute aspirin as a treatment for fevers, colds and similar ailments. Willow bark tea can even serve as a mild, backcountry painkiller. If you get sick or injured deep in the mountains, willow bark might be the difference between life and death. Noticing a viceroy frequently indicates that you’re close to a grove of willows and the associated wetland habitat. Since viceroys are heavily dependent on this habitat and have an energetic, fluttering flight pattern (very characteristic of admirals, and a feature that helps distinguish them from the monarch’s long-distance, migratory flight pattern at a considerable distance), they seldom venture far from marshes and bogs encircled with their host plant(s). It isn't very practical or easy to fly long distances with such flight habits.

These habitats also host a wide variety of nectar-rich wildflowers that serve as food for the adults (viceroys seem to enjoy large, light-colored flowers). In fact, the viceroy not only serves as an indicator for willow trees but all of the associated wildlife. Many birds, mammals, moths and even fish are strongly associated with these wiry little trees. Viceroys can, once again, act as "tour guides" to reveal these pockets of healthy habitat. The male pictured here was taking a break from vivaciously flirting with the ladies on this young goldenrod bunch gall; especially after a perilous run-in with Mr. Indigo Bunting (notice the v-shaped section snapped off of the hindwing) who was busy hunting prey for his husky gray fledgling.  After resting for a while, the butterfly resumed “mud-puddling” with his competitors to await the arrival of more potential mates to the thick, viscous red clay mud of a Boone Lake inlet.  

A female Viceroy, found in a beaver meadow at high elevation. Grayson County, Virginia.

Viceroys are smaller than monarchs, and in addition to their size and flight pattern, there are also several visual differences that can be used to distinguish between the two butterflies. The most obvious is the round shape of the Viceroy, coupled with a bolder pattern and a stouter stature. Additionally, viceroys boast a thick black line that resembles a curved line drawn with a marker across both the dorsal and ventral sides of the butterflies' hindwings. Monarchs have a similar line, although it is much thinner, more crooked and seemingly broken as it joins the other thin stripes of the butterfly's wings.