Range:
This species is a yearlong resident of the extreme southern U.S., from southernmost
California to Florida, and Mexico. In the spring and summer, adults migrate north throughout
most of the U.S. into Canada, primarily in the Great Plains. In Idaho, it has been documented to occur
in three counties: Ada, Canyon, and Franklin.
Habitat:
It occurs in open, often drier areas, such as fields, grasslands,
and disturbed areas, and along corridors such as rivers, railroads, and roadsides.
Diet:
Caterpillar:
Caterpillars feed on flowers belonging to the sunflower family (Asteraceae)
including sneezeweed (Helenium spp.), bur marigold (Bidens pilosa),
cultivated marigold (Tagetes spp.), and fetid marigold (Dyssodia
spp.).
Adult:
Butterflies drink flower nectar.
Ecology:
There are continuous generations of caterpillars where the
species occurs year-round. Scientists have not yet confirmed whether the northward
migration is either accomplished by individual adults or by successive generations
of adults. No stage is believed to be capable of enduring winter frosts; individuals
occurring in the north when summer ends die.
Reproduction:
Males patrol
near the ground in search of receptive females. Females lay eggs singly on the
leaves of young host plants
.
Conservation:
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Global Rank: |
G5; populations are widespread, abundant, and secure. |
Opler, P. A., H. Pavulaan, and R. E. Stanford. 1995. Butterflies of North America. Jamestown, North Dakota, USA: Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Home Page. http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/bflyusa/bflyusa.htm (Version 05Nov98).
Opler, P. A. and A. B.Wright. 1999. A Field Guide to the Western Butterflies. Second Edition. Peterson Field Guide Series. Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, New York, USA, 540 pp.
Pyle, R. M. 1981. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Butterflies. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York, New York, USA, 924 pp.
Scott, J. A. 1986. The Butterflies of North America. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California, USA, 583 pp.
Stanford, R. E. and P. A. Opler. 1993. Atlas of Western U.S.A. Butterflies (Including Adjacent Parts of Canada and Mexico). Published by authors, Denver, Colorado, USA, 275 pp.