The Common Buckeye is a member of the diverse Brush-footed Butterfly family. This means it is related to the Monarch, Viceroy, Malachite, the Fritillary subfamily, Painted Lady and Common Buckeye butterflies. The front pair of legs of these butterflies are very short and almost so difficult to see, people only count 4 legs. In addition to their diminutive length, the front pair of legs are also covered in short bristles, or hairs, like a hair brush.
Though seen occasionally as far north as Canada and the northern U.S. states, it does not breed there. They prefer warmer states and can breed up to 4 times a year in warmer climates.
They have distinctive, multicolored eyespots on its open forewings and hindwings. They usually reside in open land. Males are very territorial and will fly out at anything that passes too closely.
The caterpillar is a black color with with white and orange lines and stripes. It also has black bristles sticking out on the dorsal side (back) at every pair of legs. These caterpillars love to feed on plants from the plantain, verbena, figwort, snapdragon, monkey flower and stonecrop families.