Sleepy Orange
Abaeis nicippe (Cramer, 1779)
Family: Pieridae
Subfamily: Coliadinae
Identification: Upperside of wings orange in both sexes; orange-yellow form rare. Forewing with small black cell spot. Male with sharply defined black borders on outer and costal margins; female borders not so well-defined. In winter form, underside of hindwing is brick red, brown, or tan; in summer form it is orange-yellow.
Wing Span: 1 3/8 - 2 1/4 inches (3.5 - 5.7 cm).
Life History: Males patrol flats and gullies for females. Females lay eggs singly under host plant leaves. Caterpillars eat leaves. Dry season form overwinters and lays eggs in spring.
Flight: Four-five flights, all year long, in southern Texas and Deep South. Mid- to late summer in the north.
Caterpillar Hosts: Cassia species in the pea family (Fabaceae).
Adult Food: Nectar from many species of flowers, including shepherd's needle (Bidens pilosa).
Habitat: Low elevation areas including pine flats, fields, desert scrub, gardens, vacant lots, road edges, and washes.
Range: Central America north to along the United States-Mexico border; vagrant to non-mountainous parts of the eastern U. S. south of 40 latitude; rare stray to Ontario, Connecticut, South Dakota, and Colorado.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
Comments: NULL
Alternate Scientific Names:
Eurema nicippe
Get your BAMONA Gear!
Please donate!
We depend on donations to keep Butterflies and Moths of North America freely available. We want to express our gratitude to all who showed their support by making a contribution this year. You can donate to support this project at any time.
Advertise with us!
Do you have a product or service that you think would interest BAMONA users? If you would like to advertise on this website, contact us by email, or use the contact form and select the "Advertising" category.
Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 5302 verified sightings
Observation date: Oct 21, 2024
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Dec 01, 2024
Observation date: Nov 20, 2024
Submitted by: ezeemonee
Region: Bexar County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 27, 2024
Observation date: Aug 21, 2019
Submitted by: BarbSendelbach
Region: Morris County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 18, 2024
Observation date: Nov 02, 2024
Submitted by: Sheilabean
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 04, 2024
Observation date: Nov 01, 2024
Submitted by: jmgesell
Region: Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Nov 03, 2024
Observation date: Oct 20, 2024
Submitted by: Sheilabean
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 21, 2024
Observation date: Oct 11, 2024
Submitted by: jwilkinson
Region: Howard County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 20, 2024
Observation date: Aug 31, 2024
Submitted by: hasfitz5
Region: Pima County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Oct 09, 2024
Observation date: Oct 21, 2022
Submitted by: tiki33wv
Region: Cochise County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Oct 09, 2024
Observation date: Oct 08, 2024
Submitted by: jmgesell
Region: Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Oct 09, 2024
Observation date: Oct 02, 2024
Submitted by: Sheilabean
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 03, 2024
Observation date: Oct 02, 2024
Submitted by: Cheri Pierce
Region: Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Oct 02, 2024
Observation date: Sep 01, 2024
Submitted by: bonfrey
Region: Socorro County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Sep 29, 2024
Observation date: Sep 04, 2024
Submitted by: jmgesell
Region: Warren County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Sep 20, 2024
Observation date: Sep 13, 2024
Submitted by: Alison Davies
Region: Lexington County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Sep 15, 2024
Observation date: Sep 03, 2024
Submitted by: jmgesell
Region: Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Sep 04, 2024
Observation date: Sep 02, 2024
Submitted by: Alison Davies
Region: Lexington County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Sep 03, 2024
Observation date: Sep 10, 2023
Submitted by: ButtahflyEtn37354
Region: Monroe County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Aug 27, 2024
Observation date: Aug 18, 2024
Submitted by: maryjanzen
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 19, 2024
Observation date: Aug 15, 2024
Submitted by: Alison Davies
Region: Lexington County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 17, 2024
Observation date: Aug 14, 2024
Submitted by: jmgesell
Region: Dare County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 15, 2024
Observation date: Aug 10, 2024
Submitted by: kericson
Region: Polk County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 12, 2024
Observation date: Aug 10, 2024
Submitted by: terrymortier
Region: Grant County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 12, 2024
Observation date: Mar 12, 2024
Submitted by: dvollmar
Region: Osceola County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 11, 2024
- 1 of 221
- next ›