''Colias occidentalis'', the western sulphur or golden sulphur, is a

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 comprises ...

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 Levi ...

found in North America. Its range includes the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...

and parts of

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

.Western Sulphur
Butterflies of Canada Flight period is from late May until early July. Its habitats include ocean bluffs, forest openings, mountain slopes, and subalpine meadows. Wingspan is from to . Larvae feed on ''

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 ...

'' spp., ''

Lupinus ''Lupinus'', commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet etc., is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with centers of diversity in North and South America. Smaller centers occur ...

'' spp., ''

Lathyrus ''Lathyrus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family Fabaceae, and contains approximately 160 species. Commonly known as peavines or vetchlings, they are native to temperate areas, with a breakdown of 52 species in Europe, 30 speci ...

'' spp., and ''

Thermopsis ''Thermopsis'' is a genus of legumes, native to temperate North America and east Asia. They are herbaceous perennials and are known as goldenbanners or false-lupines. Species ''Thermopsis'' comprises the following species: * '' Thermopsis alpi ...

'' spp.''Colias''
at Markku Savela's ''Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms''

Subspecies

Listed alphabetically. *''C. o. chrysomelas'' H. Edwards, 1877 (California, Oregon) *''C. o. occidentalis'' (British Columbia, Washington, Oregon) *''C. o. sullivani'' Hammond & McCorkle, 2003 (Oregon)

References

External links

''Colias occidentalis'' images
at

Consortium for the Barcode of Life The Consortium for the Barcode of Life (CBOL) was an international initiative dedicated to supporting the development of DNA barcoding as a global standard for species identification. CBOL's Secretariat Office is hosted by the National Museum of ...

occidentalis Butterflies of North America Butterflies described in 1862 {{pieridae-stub