Orange Sulphur
Colias eurytheme Boisduval, 1852
Family: Pieridae
Subfamily: Coliadinae
Identification: Quite variable. Upperside of male yellow with orange overlay, yellow veins, wide black border, and dark black cell spot. Female yellow or white with irregular black border surrounding light spots. Underside hindwing spot silver with 2 concentric dark rings, and a spot above it.
Wing Span: 1 3/8 - 2 3/4 inches (3.5 - 7 cm).
Life History: Males patrol for receptive females, who lay eggs singly on top of host plant leaves. Most feeding takes place at night. Young caterpillars chew holes in the tops of leaves, then later feed from the leaf tip. Older caterpillars eat half of the leaf before moving to the other half. Chrysalids overwinter.
Flight: Two-three flights in the north from June-October, 4-5 in the south from March-November.
Caterpillar Hosts: Plants in the pea family (Fabaceae) including alfalfa (Medicago sativa), white clover (Trifolium repens), and white sweet clover (Melilotus alba).
Adult Food: Nectar from many kinds of flowers including dandelion, milkweeds, goldenrods, and asters.
Habitat: A wide variety of open sites, especially clover and alfalfa fields, mowed fields, vacant lots, meadows, road edges.
Range: Southern Canada to central Mexico, coast to coast in the United States except for the Florida peninsula. Comments: One of the most widespread and common butterflies in North America.
Conservation: Not required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: Caterpillars can be very destructive in alfalfa fields.
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 121 - 144 of 12809 verified sightings
Observation date: Oct 04, 2023
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Colfax County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Oct 17, 2023
Observation date: Oct 02, 2023
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Cibola County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Oct 16, 2023
Observation date: Oct 08, 2023
Submitted by: rajanrao
Region: Alpine County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 15, 2023
Observation date: Oct 08, 2023
Submitted by: rajanrao
Region: Alpine County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 15, 2023
Observation date: Oct 04, 2023
Submitted by: kristenej
Region: Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Oct 13, 2023
Observation date: Oct 05, 2023
Submitted by: Lisahug
Region: Napa County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 05, 2023
Observation date: Sep 27, 2023
Submitted by: Blue Swallowtail
Region: Lancaster County, Nebraska, United States
Verified by: Emily Geest
Verified date: Oct 02, 2023
Observation date: Oct 01, 2023
Submitted by: Paul Prappas
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Oct 01, 2023
Observation date: Oct 01, 2023
Submitted by: hclancy
Region: Bronx County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Oct 01, 2023
Observation date: Sep 29, 2023
Submitted by: Steven Wilson
Region: Greenbrier County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Sep 30, 2023
Observation date: Sep 24, 2023
Submitted by: mstanek
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 25, 2023
Observation date: Jun 14, 2022
Submitted by: B-Smith
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Sep 21, 2023
Observation date: Sep 17, 2023
Submitted by: mstanek
Region: San Luis Obispo County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 21, 2023
Observation date: Sep 12, 2023
Submitted by: Blue Swallowtail
Region: Lancaster County, Nebraska, United States
Verified by: Emily Geest
Verified date: Sep 18, 2023
Observation date: Sep 12, 2023
Submitted by: cp2023
Region: Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 12, 2023
Observation date: Sep 01, 2023
Submitted by: asombro_institute
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Sep 04, 2023
Observation date: Sep 03, 2023
Submitted by: maryjanzen
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 04, 2023
Observation date: Sep 01, 2023
Submitted by: cp2023
Region: Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 04, 2023
Observation date: Jun 24, 2023
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 03, 2023
Observation date: Aug 23, 2023
Submitted by: hasfitz5
Region: Amador County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 31, 2023
Observation date: Aug 21, 2023
Submitted by: Gordon Berman
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Aug 26, 2023
Observation date: Jul 30, 2017
Submitted by: dingoqueen
Region: Box Elder County, Utah, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Aug 21, 2023
Observation date: Aug 18, 2020
Submitted by: Robb Hannawacker
Region: San Juan County, Utah, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Aug 21, 2023
Observation date: Jul 01, 2023
Submitted by: Zencoyote
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 21, 2023
- ‹ previous
- 6 of 534
- next ›