Dainty Sulphur
Nathalis iole Boisduval, 1836
Family: Pieridae
Subfamily: Coliadinae
Identification: Small, with elongated forewings. Upperside yellow with black markings, female with more extensive black than male. White form very rare. Underside of forewing with orange or yellow patch at base of wing and black spots at outer wing edge. Winter form has dusty green hindwing, summer form hindwing is pale yellow.
Wing Span: 3/4 - 1 1/4 inches (2 - 3.2 cm).
Life History: Males patrol a few inches above the ground in low areas for females. Females lay eggs singly on leaves of host plant seedlings. Adults rest with wings closed and held perpendicular to the sun's rays to warm themselves.
Flight: Throughout the year in peninsular Florida and South Texas. After overwintering as adults in the South, some migrate north in spring and summer. Flight of about 6 months in the north.
Caterpillar Hosts: Low-growing plants in the aster family (Asteraceae) especially shepherd's needle (Bidens pilosa), sneezeweed (Helenium), fetid marigold (Dyssodia), and cultivated marigold (Tagetes).
Adult Food: Nectars at Labrador tea, asters, wild marigold, rabbitbrush, and others.
Habitat: Open, dry places including coastal flats, weedy fields, grasslands, road edges, meadows, and hillsides.
Range: Resident in Guatemala north to peninsular Florida and the Southwest. Cannot survive cold winters, therefore every summer re-colonizes through the Great Plains to southeast Washington, southeast Idaho, Wyoming, and Minnesota.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
Get your BAMONA Gear!
Please donate!
We depend on donations to keep Butterflies and Moths of North America freely available. We want to express our gratitude to all who showed their support by making a contribution this year. You can donate to support this project at any time.
Advertise with us!
Do you have a product or service that you think would interest BAMONA users? If you would like to advertise on this website, contact us by email, or use the contact form and select the "Advertising" category.
Verified Sightings
Displaying 193 - 216 of 2236 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 25, 2021
Submitted by: robtluke@aol.com
Region: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Nov 12, 2021
Observation date: Jul 01, 2017
Submitted by: Mark Salvato
Region: Lee County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Nov 02, 2021
Observation date: May 31, 2020
Submitted by: Mark Salvato
Region: Indian River County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Nov 02, 2021
Observation date: Jul 30, 2021
Submitted by: sgguthart
Region: Larimer County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Nov 02, 2021
Observation date: Oct 25, 2021
Submitted by: robtluke@aol.com
Region: Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Oct 30, 2021
Observation date: Oct 18, 2021
Submitted by: Jonathan Clark
Region: Grant Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 29, 2021
Observation date: Oct 24, 2021
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Yavapai County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Oct 27, 2021
Observation date: Oct 22, 2021
Submitted by: DeepSkyKelly
Region: Colfax County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Oct 27, 2021
Observation date: Sep 30, 2021
Submitted by: psvingen
Region: Douglas County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Oct 24, 2021
Observation date: Aug 30, 2021
Submitted by: 1tom2go
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Oct 24, 2021
Observation date: Sep 30, 2021
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Perkins County, Nebraska, United States
Verified by: Emily Geest
Verified date: Oct 19, 2021
Observation date: Oct 17, 2021
Submitted by: John Schwartz
Region: Kane County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Oct 17, 2021
Observation date: Sep 01, 2021
Submitted by: Rmclaughlin
Region: Pima County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Oct 16, 2021
Observation date: Oct 15, 2021
Submitted by: CheddahCurt
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 16, 2021
Observation date: Oct 04, 2021
Submitted by: Sarah Miller
Region: Maricopa County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Oct 16, 2021
Observation date: Oct 11, 2021
Submitted by: loonunit
Region: Gila County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Oct 16, 2021
Observation date: Nov 14, 2014
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: Pima County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Oct 16, 2021
Observation date: Oct 11, 2021
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: White Pine County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 14, 2021
Observation date: Oct 10, 2021
Submitted by: bonfrey
Region: Socorro County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Oct 12, 2021
Observation date: Oct 10, 2021
Submitted by: bonfrey
Region: Socorro County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Oct 12, 2021
Observation date: Oct 10, 2021
Submitted by: bonfrey
Region: Socorro County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Oct 12, 2021
Observation date: Nov 11, 2020
Submitted by: twofried
Region: Texas, Karnes County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Oct 11, 2021
Observation date: Oct 09, 2021
Submitted by: opiliones
Region: Clark County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 09, 2021
Observation date: Oct 04, 2021
Submitted by: ObserverofGod'sart
Region: Bexar County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Oct 06, 2021
- ‹ previous
- 9 of 94
- next ›