Palmer's Metalmark (Apodemia palmeri) butterflies are common here in Arizona, especially in areas of desertscrub where their larval host plants, Mesquite trees (Prosopis spp.) can be found. The adult butterflies feed on flower nectar, and some of their favorite flowers are daisies like these TransPecos Thimbleheads (Hymenothrix wislizeni).

Palmer's Metalmark butterflies have green eyes and brown or gray-brown dorsal forewings and hindwings with small, coppery orange splotches and squared white spots. These butterflies are relatively small with only a 1.1 inch (2.8 cm) wingspan.

There are a couple of other similar Metalmark butterflies found here, but they can be distinguished by the amount and distribution of the coppery orange color on their dorsal wing surfaces. Mormon Metalmarks (Apodemia mormo) have a large orange patch on their dorsal forewings and dark brown hindwings. The boldly marked Sonoran Metalmarks (Apodemia mejicanus) have bright coppery orange to black dorsal forewings and hindwings. Unlike these other two butterflies, Palmer's Metalmarks don't have large areas of coppery orange on their dorsal wing surfaces, only small patches of orange.