California Tortoiseshell
Nymphalis californica (Boisduval, 1852)
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Nymphalinae
Identification: Upperside is orange-brown with large black spots and dark wing borders. Underside looks like a dead leaf and is dark mottled brown with darker wing bases; hindwing does not have a centered silver spot.
Wing Span: 1 1/4 - 2 3/4 inches (3.2 - 7 cm).
Life History: Males perch in the late afternoon to look for females. Eggs are laid in bunches on the host plant; caterpillars eat leaves and feed together when young. Adults hibernate.
Flight: One brood overwinter. They fly the following spring until April or May, mating and laying eggs for the next brood.
Caterpillar Hosts: Various species of wild lilac (Ceanothus).
Adult Food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Chaparral, woodland, brush areas, forest clearings and edges.
Range: British Columbia south along the Pacific Coast to Baja California Norte, east to Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. Rare migrants to Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, and Vermont after periodic population explosions in Mexico.
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.
Alternate Scientific Names:
Nymphalis california
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 73 - 96 of 1024 verified sightings
Observation date: Sep 02, 2020
Submitted by: Davi
Region: Multnomah County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 03, 2022
Observation date: Jul 30, 2022
Submitted by: falco1
Region: El Dorado County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 02, 2022
Observation date: Jul 15, 2022
Submitted by: NikkiM
Region: Carbon County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Aug 02, 2022
Observation date: Jul 18, 2022
Submitted by: Varn
Region: Fremont County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jul 28, 2022
Observation date: Jul 17, 2022
Submitted by: Varn
Region: Johnson County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jul 28, 2022
Observation date: Jul 17, 2022
Submitted by: pjwilson51
Region: Linn County, Iowa, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Jul 19, 2022
Observation date: Jun 02, 2020
Submitted by: madamirie
Region: Monterey County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 05, 2022
Observation date: Jul 01, 2022
Submitted by: mashoop58
Region: Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 05, 2022
Observation date: Apr 09, 2022
Submitted by: scott ellis
Region: Larimer County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Jun 27, 2022
Observation date: Jun 03, 2022
Submitted by: dbryant562
Region: Gallatin County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jun 09, 2022
Observation date: Sep 06, 2021
Submitted by: Jay Brasher
Region: Teton County, Idaho, United States
Verified by: stevekohler
Verified date: May 31, 2022
Observation date: Sep 08, 2021
Submitted by: Jay Brasher
Region: Teton County, Idaho, United States
Verified by: stevekohler
Verified date: May 31, 2022
Observation date: Sep 09, 2021
Submitted by: Jay Brasher
Region: Teton County, Idaho, United States
Verified by: stevekohler
Verified date: May 31, 2022
Observation date: Sep 17, 2017
Submitted by: Samela95437
Region: Mendocino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 29, 2022
Observation date: May 04, 2022
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Pend Oreille County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: May 06, 2022
Observation date: Apr 24, 2022
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Apr 26, 2022
Observation date: Apr 21, 2022
Submitted by: chneal
Region: Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Apr 25, 2022
Observation date: Mar 19, 2022
Submitted by: mashoop58
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Apr 11, 2022
Observation date: Apr 05, 2022
Submitted by: topper72
Region: Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Apr 08, 2022
Observation date: Apr 04, 2022
Submitted by: Cactuswren1976
Region: Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Apr 08, 2022
Observation date: Apr 03, 2022
Submitted by: ezeemonee
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Apr 07, 2022
Observation date: Jul 31, 2021
Submitted by: AndrewRz
Region: Teton County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Apr 05, 2022
Observation date: Mar 26, 2022
Submitted by: NikkiM
Region: Stillwater County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Apr 04, 2022
Observation date: Feb 11, 2021
Submitted by: yhelfman
Region: Santa Clara County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Mar 30, 2022
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