Observation date: August 18, 2014
Submitted by: Ralph S. Carlson
Specimen type: Photograph
Observation notes: For weeks, I have seen swallowtails and small yellow butterflies flying high and fast. This morning, I finally spotted a "yellow" settling on a white rose, but from my position on the sidewalk in front of a private residence, I could only get a partial view of the critter. I hope enough detail is visible to permit an identification. Temperature was about 78 degrees Fahrenheit. Breeze was intermittent & slight -- zero to 4 MPH.
Status: Resident
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: August 19, 2014
Coordinator notes: In a rural setting, it must be an Orange Sulphur but anywhere else one would need to know the actual ground color for the upperside. If yellow, you might find a Clouded Sulphur (Colias philodice), a species not likely in Los Angeles County or Harford's Sulphur (Colias harfordii) a species common in desert or arid montane habitats in that county. Some treat harfordii as a Queen Alexandra Sulphur subspecies but it differs biologically by being triple brooded-Ken Davenport
