Natural History

The Arizona Sister can be found throughout the west, from Southern Oregon east to Colorado, south to southern California, Arizona, South Texas, and Mexico. It can be found mainly in areas with oak covered hills, groves, and stream valleys. Oak tree leaves are the main food plant of the insect during its caterpillar stage.
 

The Arizona Sister is under consideration (along with the Two-tailed Swallowtail and The Queen, a Monarch Butterfly) as the state butterfly of Arizona. Currently 14 states in the U.S. have state butterflies.