Range:
This is a widespread species, found throughout southern Canada and the continental
U.S., south to central Mexico. It occurs throughout Idaho.
Habitat:
It is most often found in open areas, such as lawns, meadows,
and fields, particularly those with clover or alfalfa.
Diet:
Caterpillar:
Caterpillars eat the leaves of legume plants, such as alfalfa (Medicago
sativa), milk vetches (Astragulus spp.), and clovers (Trifolium
and Melilotus spp.).
Adult:
Butterflies drink flower nectar.
Ecology:
Caterpillars typically feed at night. When young, they chew holes in the
tops of leaves; later they feed on the tips of leaves, while the oldest caterpillars
eat one side of a leaf at a time. There can be two to three generations of caterpillars
each summer in the north, and up to five in the south. Either the older caterpillars
or the pupae of the last brood of
the season overwinter in a physiological state called diapause. Adults generally fly
from May through October. Large numbers of adult males can frequently be observed
congregating at muddy sites where they obtain salt and nutrients, a behavior
called puddling. This species can occasionally
hybridize with
the Common Sulphur, Colias philodice, where both are present. The Orange
Sulphur is one of the most common butterflies in North America, and the caterpillars
presence in large numbers can cause significant damage to alfalfa crops.
Reproduction:
Males actively patrol
in search of receptive females. Females lay eggs singly on host plant leaves, often on the upperside.
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.