''Colias philodice'', the common sulphur or clouded sulphur, is a North American

butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group compris ...

in the family

Pieridae The Pieridae are a large family of butterflies with about 76 genera containing about 1,100 species, mostly from tropical Africa and tropical Asia with some varieties in the more northern regions of North America and Eurasia.DeVries P. J. in L ...

, subfamily

Coliadinae Coliadinae, the sulphurs or yellows, are a subfamily of butterflies with about 300 described species. There are 36 species in North America, where they range from Mexico to northern Canada. In most species, males are easily distinguished from ...

Description

This species is a typical member of the genus. Both genders typically have pale yellow wings above with no traces of orange, unlike its close cousin the orange sulphur which may also be yellowish. Males have clean borders, while females have yellow dots within this region. Females sometimes exhibit a white form known as ''alba''. The underside of the male's wings is yellow while the female's is yellow or greenish white, and both have a doubled hindwing spot trimmed in brownish red. The hindwings show a series of four small red spots along the outer third portion, a trait that distinguishes the other North America species such as ''

Colias interior ''Colias interior'', the pink-edged sulphur, is a species of North American butterfly in the family Pieridae. Description The wingspan for this butterfly is 39 to 66 mm. Distribution See range map. Life cycle There is one flight between J ...

'', with exception of the orange sulphur which also shows them. Its wingspan is 32 to 54 mm. Colias philodice white form

; Form ''alba'' This species has white form ''alba'' which can be very common in some populations, while rare in others. It can be confused with other white forms of ''Colias'' particularly that of ''

Colias eurytheme ''Colias eurytheme'', the orange sulphur, also known as the alfalfa butterfly and in its larval stage as the alfalfa caterpillar, is a butterfly of the family Pieridae, where it belongs to the lowland group of " clouded yellows and sulphurs" sub ...

''. It can often be distinguished by the border pattern of both wings, though some individuals are impossible to separate without the presence of other "normal" specimens. Though they differ in flight style, the white forms of ''Colias'' may be confused with other pierids such as ''

Pieris rapae ''Pieris rapae'' is a small- to medium-sized butterfly species of the whites-and-yellows family Pieridae. It is known in Europe as the small white, in North America as the cabbage white or cabbage butterfly, on several continents as the small c ...

'' and '' Pontia protodice''. White form males are also known, but they are exceedingly rare in this species.

Habitat

This butterfly may be encountered in fields, lawns, alfalfa or clover fields, meadows, and roadsides. Swarms of these butterflies will congregate at mud puddles. They range over most of North America with the exception of Labrador, Nunavut, and northern Quebec. They migrate every year.U. Florida. Featured Creatures. ''Colias philodice''
/ref>

Nectar plants

Clouded sulphurs

nectar Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries or nectarines, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualist ...

at flowers such as milkweed (''

Asclepias ''Asclepias'' is a genus of herbaceous, perennial plant, perennial, flowering plants known as milkweeds, named for their latex, a milky substance containing cardiac glycosides termed cardenolides, exuded where cells are damaged. Most species ar ...

'' species), butterfly bush (''

Buddleja ''Buddleja'' (; ''Buddleia''; also historically given as ''Buddlea'') is a genus comprising over 140 species of flowering plants endemic to Asia, Africa, and the Americas. The generic name bestowed by Linnaeus posthumously honoured the Re ...

'' species), coneflower (''

Dracopis ''Dracopis'' is a monotypic genus with ''Dracopis amplexicaulis'' (clasping coneflower; syn. ''Rudbeckia amplexicaulis'') the sole species. It is native to North America. It is an annual plant growing to 1 m tall, with simple or branched stems. ...

'', '' Echinacea'', and ''

Rudbeckia ''Rudbeckia'' () is a plant genus in the Asteraceae or composite family. Rudbeckia flowers feature a prominent, raised central disc in black, brown shades of green, and in-between tones, giving rise to their familiar common names of coneflowers a ...

''), alfalfa (''

Medicago sativa Alfalfa () (''Medicago sativa''), also called lucerne, is a perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. It is used for grazing, hay, and silage, as w ...

''), dandelion (''

Taraxacum ''Taraxacum'' () is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, which consists of species commonly known as dandelions. The scientific and hobby study of the genus is known as taraxacology. The genus is native to Eurasia and Nor ...

'' species), clover (''

Trifolium Clover or trefoil are common names for plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (from Latin ''tres'' 'three' + ''folium'' 'leaf'), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume or pea family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The gen ...

'' species), and tall verbena ('' Verbena bonariensis'') and many more.

Host plants

Ground-plum (''

Astragalus crassicarpus ''Astragalus crassicarpus'', known as ground plum or buffalo plum, is a perennial species of flowering plant in the legume family, Fabaceae, native to North America. It was described in 1813. The fruit is edible and was used by Native Americans ...

''), Platte River milk-vetch (''

Astragalus plattensis ''Astragalus plattensis'', the Platte River milkvetch, is a species of flowering plant in the legume family, Fabaceae, native to North America. It was named in 1838. Its range includes the Great Plains of the United States, from southern Montana ...

''), soybean ('' Glycine max''), deer vetch ('' Lotus'' species), alfalfa (''

''), white sweet clover ('' Melilotus albus''), black locust (''

Robinia pseudoacacia ''Robinia pseudoacacia'', commonly known in its native territory as black locust, is a medium-sized hardwood deciduous tree, belonging to the tribe Robinieae of the legume family Fabaceae. It is endemic to a few small areas of the United Sta ...

''), white clover (''

Trifolium repens ''Trifolium repens'', the white clover, is a herbaceous perennial plant in the bean family Fabaceae (otherwise known as Leguminosae). It is native to Europe, including the British Isles,Clapham, A.R., Tutin, T.G. and Warburg., E.F. 1968. ''Excursio ...

''), red clover ('' Trifolium pratense''), vetch (''

Vicia ''Vicia'' is a genus of over 240 species of flowering plants that are part of the legume family (Fabaceae), and which are commonly known as vetches. Member species are native to Europe, North America, South America, Asia and Africa. Some other ...

'' species)

Life cycle

The pale yellow eggs are laid singly on the

host plant In biology and medicine, a host is a larger organism that harbours a smaller organism; whether a parasitic, a mutualistic, or a commensalist ''guest'' ( symbiont). The guest is typically provided with nourishment and shelter. Examples include ...

s. The eggs turn red after a few days, then turn gray just before they hatch. The young

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. ...

e will eat one another. The larva is green with a white stripe running along each side of the body. The white stripes may contain bars or lines of pink or orange. The green

chrysalis A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in thei ...

hangs up right by a

silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from th ...

girdle A belt, especially if a cord or rope, is called a girdle if it is worn as part of Christian liturgical vestments, or in certain historical, literary or sports contexts. Girdles are used to close a cassock in Christian denominations, including th ...

. Just before

eclosion A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their ...

, the chrysalis turns yellow with a pink "zipper".

Gallery

File:Male Clouded Sulphur, Megan McCarty56.jpg, Male nectaring on

red clover ''Trifolium pratense'', the red clover, is a herbaceous species of flowering plant in the bean family Fabaceae, native to Europe, Western Asia, and northwest Africa, but planted and naturalized in many other regions. Description Red clove ...

File:Clouded Sulphur 1, Perth.jpg, Male showing red fringe File:Female Clouded Sulphur Megan McCarty42.jpg, Female specimen File:Albino Clouded Sulphur, MM158.jpg, Underside of a white form female File:Clouded sulphur butterfly on zinnia.jpg, Specimen nectaring on a

zinnia ''Zinnia'' is a genus of plants of the tribe Heliantheae within the family Asteraceae. They are native to scrub and dry grassland in an area stretching from the Southwestern United States to South America, with a centre of diversity in Mexi ...

in the

Southwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

region of the U.S.

Similar species

* ''

'' – orange sulphur * ''

'' – pink-edged sulphur

References

External links

Photos of adults and larva
*
Clouded sulphur
Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility

Red Planet Inc.

Fairfax County Public Schools

Nearctic.com {{Taxonbar, from=Q1345988 philodice Butterflies of North America Insects of the Arctic Butterflies described in 1819 Taxa named by Jean-Baptiste Godart