Colias eurytheme – Orange Sulphur

Caterpillar foods: Alfalfa and other plants in the Pea family (Fabaceae)

Orange Sulphurs are very similar to Clouded Sulphurs – we have both here.   The tops of Orange Sulphurs’ wings are partly orange and Clouded Sulphurs’ are all yellow, but since the tops of their wings aren’t usually visible unless they’re flying, it’s hard to get a photo of them.  Females can be either orange and yellow, like the males, or greenish white.  (White females look the same as white Clouded Sulphur females.)

8/5/2023  Newly emerged adult (see rearing below)

 

7/24/2023  Caterpillar found crawling on my backpack.  Fed legumes, but it didn’t eat much – it was nearly ready to pupate.

 

7/29/2023  Pupa

 

8/3/2023  Pupa – nearly ready to open

 

8/5/2023  Spent pupa  (Adult that emerged is at the top of the page).

 

9/20/2007

 

Mike took this photo on January 28, 2002.  I wonder what an Orange Sulphur was doing flying around in January.  They overwinter as chrysalises – maybe there was a spell of warm weather and it hatched too soon.  This shows the wide black and yellow bands on the female’s upper forewings.