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 1928 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 16, 2020
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Aug 27, 2020
Observation date: Aug 21, 2020
Submitted by: eroutside
Region: Broward County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 26, 2020
Observation date: Aug 19, 2020
Submitted by: pnesterenko
Region: El Paso County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: A_baldini
Verified date: Aug 21, 2020
Observation date: Aug 18, 2020
Submitted by: DeepSkyKelly
Region: Colfax County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Aug 18, 2020
Observation date: Aug 15, 2020
Submitted by: DeepSkyKelly
Region: Colfax County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Aug 18, 2020
Observation date: Aug 10, 2020
Submitted by: Harry Forbes
Region: Las Animas County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: A_baldini
Verified date: Aug 12, 2020
Observation date: Jul 21, 2020
Submitted by: Michael Weisensee
Region: Sarasota County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 04, 2020
Observation date: Aug 04, 2020
Submitted by: Michael Weisensee
Region: Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 04, 2020
Observation date: Aug 02, 2020
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Orangeburg County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 03, 2020
Observation date: Jul 25, 2020
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe (Terrie Johnson)
Region: Orangeburg County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Jul 25, 2020
Observation date: Jul 20, 2012
Submitted by: cjbruchman
Region: Cook County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 21, 2020
Observation date: Jul 13, 2020
Submitted by: wtjones
Region: Polk County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jul 14, 2020
Observation date: Jul 04, 2020
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Yavapai County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Jul 10, 2020
Observation date: Apr 17, 2020
Submitted by: Doug DeNeve
Region: Polk County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jul 01, 2020
Observation date: Jun 21, 2020
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jun 28, 2020
Observation date: Oct 04, 2019
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jun 26, 2020
Observation date: Oct 05, 2019
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jun 26, 2020
Observation date: Oct 05, 2019
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jun 26, 2020
Observation date: Oct 12, 2019
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jun 26, 2020
Observation date: Oct 26, 2019
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jun 26, 2020
Observation date: May 23, 2020
Submitted by: Aner
Region: Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jun 25, 2020
Observation date: Aug 05, 2019
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jun 12, 2020
Observation date: Oct 06, 2019
Submitted by: pnesterenko
Region: El Paso County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: A_baldini
Verified date: Jun 07, 2020
Observation date: Jul 24, 2016
Submitted by: mouser
Region: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jun 04, 2020
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