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.
Comments: NULL
Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 1856 verified sightings
Observation date: Sep 08, 2019
Submitted by: Chris Barnhart
Region: Greene County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 09, 2019
Observation date: Sep 05, 2019
Submitted by: Robert Nelson
Region: Baxter County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Sep 05, 2019
Observation date: Sep 05, 2019
Submitted by: Robert Nelson
Region: Baxter County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Sep 05, 2019
Observation date: Aug 18, 2019
Submitted by: Markus M
Region: Jalisco, Mexico
Verified by: Doug Taron
Verified date: Sep 05, 2019
Observation date: Sep 01, 2019
Submitted by: davidwright (David Wright)
Region: Rock Island County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: Doug Taron
Verified date: Sep 05, 2019
Observation date: Jul 11, 2019
Submitted by: Kristie Nelson
Region: Mono County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 31, 2019
Observation date: Aug 04, 2019
Submitted by: Kristie Nelson
Region: Mono County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 31, 2019
Observation date: Aug 25, 2019
Submitted by: robert.emond
Region: Jefferson County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 31, 2019
Observation date: Aug 25, 2019
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Jasper County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 28, 2019
Observation date: Jun 26, 2019
Submitted by: topper72
Region: Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Aug 22, 2019
Observation date: Jul 17, 2019
Submitted by: pantos
Region: Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: Howell_Curtis
Verified date: Aug 19, 2019
Observation date: Jul 28, 2019
Submitted by: A_baldini
Region: Larimer County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: A_baldini
Verified date: Aug 17, 2019
Observation date: Aug 05, 2019
Submitted by: A_baldini
Region: Larimer County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: A_baldini
Verified date: Aug 17, 2019
Observation date: Aug 05, 2019
Submitted by: wlu
Region: Orange County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 05, 2019
Observation date: Aug 04, 2019
Submitted by: wlu
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 04, 2019
Observation date: Aug 23, 2018
Submitted by: Eric Wood
Region: Boone County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Aug 01, 2019
Observation date: Jul 24, 2019
Submitted by: wlu
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jul 24, 2019
Observation date: Jul 13, 2019
Submitted by: A_baldini
Region: Weld County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: A_baldini
Verified date: Jul 19, 2019
Observation date: Jul 13, 2019
Submitted by: wlu
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jul 14, 2019
Observation date: Jul 13, 2019
Submitted by: therapypetz
Region: Broward County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jul 14, 2019
Observation date: Jul 11, 2019
Submitted by: AnnainOK
Region: Choctaw County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jul 12, 2019
Observation date: Jun 20, 2019
Submitted by: Tim Shortell
Region: Gunnison County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: A_baldini
Verified date: Jul 03, 2019
Observation date: Jun 29, 2019
Submitted by: wlu
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jun 30, 2019
Observation date: Jun 24, 2019
Submitted by: WINGSaloftinKS
Region: Douglas County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jun 25, 2019
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