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.
BAMONA Shop
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 1 - 24 of 2251 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 07, 2025
Submitted by: klamke
Region: Goshen County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jul 27, 2025
Observation date: Jun 21, 2025
Submitted by: bonfrey
Region: Lincoln County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 17, 2025
Observation date: Jul 11, 2025
Submitted by: Cascade Colors
Region: Grand County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Jul 13, 2025
Observation date: Jul 05, 2025
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Cherry County, Nebraska, United States
Verified by: Emily Geest
Verified date: Jul 08, 2025
Observation date: Jul 06, 2025
Submitted by: Dwaine Wagoner
Region: Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jul 06, 2025
Observation date: Nov 23, 2006
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: Maricopa County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Jul 03, 2025
Observation date: Jun 23, 2025
Submitted by: Allison Barta
Region: Cass County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jun 23, 2025
Observation date: Jun 21, 2025
Submitted by: Janet Ruth
Region: Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jun 22, 2025
Observation date: May 10, 2025
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jun 07, 2025
Observation date: Mar 10, 2024
Submitted by: commentator
Region: Broward County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: May 30, 2025
Observation date: May 16, 2025
Submitted by: yardbird
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: May 19, 2025
Observation date: Apr 17, 2025
Submitted by: hockeybruce7
Region: Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Apr 27, 2025
Observation date: Apr 20, 2025
Submitted by: Sheilabean
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Apr 26, 2025
Observation date: Mar 18, 2025
Submitted by: bonfrey
Region: Manatee County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Mar 29, 2025
Observation date: Feb 24, 2025
Submitted by: Cactuswren1976
Region: Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Feb 25, 2025
Observation date: Jan 04, 2025
Submitted by: starmans
Region: Bastrop County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jan 05, 2025
Observation date: Oct 05, 2024
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Dec 04, 2024
Observation date: Oct 05, 2024
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Dec 04, 2024
Observation date: Oct 16, 2024
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Dec 02, 2024
Observation date: Oct 21, 2024
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Dec 01, 2024
Observation date: Nov 22, 2024
Submitted by: ezeemonee
Region: Bexar County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 27, 2024
Observation date: Nov 22, 2024
Submitted by: ezeemonee
Region: Bexar County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 27, 2024
Observation date: Nov 23, 2024
Submitted by: ezeemonee
Region: Texas, Travis County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 27, 2024
Observation date: Nov 23, 2024
Submitted by: ezeemonee
Region: Texas, Travis County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 27, 2024
- 1 of 94
- next ›