Pink-edged Sulphur
Colias interior Scudder, 1862
Family: Pieridae
Subfamily: Coliadinae
Identification: Both sexes with conspicuous pink wing edges. Male yellow; female yellow or white (very rarely). Upperside of male with black border; border on female may be incomplete or only seen at tip of wing. Underside of hindwing clear yellow with single silver cell spot circled in pink.
Wing Span: 1 1/2 - 2 5/8 inches (3.9 - 6.6 cm).
Life History: Males patrol with a slow flight for females. Eggs are laid in midsummer on blueberry leaves, and young caterpillars overwinter. Most feeding occurs the following spring.
Flight: One flight from June-August.
Caterpillar Hosts: Various blueberry plants (Vaccinium species) in the heath family (Ericaceae).
Adult Food: Nectar from flowers of bristly sarsaparilla and orange hawkweed.
Habitat: Shrubby openings in woods, bogs, or scrub areas where Ericaceae grows; often in burned or logged sites.
Range: From British Columbia and eastern Oregon east through the Great Lakes area to northern New England. Isolated population in central Appalachians of northeast Pennsylvania, western Maryland, eastern West Virginia, and northwest Virginia.
Conservation: Mountain populations of southern Appalachians should be monitored.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: Investigate habitat management needs,if any, in southern Appalachian habitats.
Comments: NULL
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 354 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 16, 2018
Submitted by: rbuist
Region: Manitoba, Canada
Verified by: chalicerae
Verified date: Jun 05, 2023
Observation date: Aug 20, 2022
Submitted by: NikkiM
Region: Park County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Oct 21, 2022
Observation date: Jul 24, 2021
Submitted by: NikkiM
Region: Park County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Oct 21, 2022
Observation date: Jul 24, 2021
Submitted by: NikkiM
Region: Park County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Oct 21, 2022
Observation date: Aug 01, 2021
Submitted by: NikkiM
Region: Park County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Oct 20, 2022
Observation date: Jun 11, 2019
Submitted by: Liz Osborn
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 24, 2022
Observation date: May 29, 2019
Submitted by: Karlissa J
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 23, 2022
Observation date: Aug 01, 2022
Submitted by: Pheasantboy77
Region: Granite County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Sep 23, 2022
Observation date: Aug 25, 2019
Submitted by: Liz Osborn
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 13, 2022
Observation date: Aug 01, 2020
Submitted by: wildebynature
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 10, 2022
Observation date: Jun 20, 2021
Submitted by: sharper
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 07, 2022
Observation date: Jul 28, 2021
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 07, 2022
Observation date: Jul 06, 2022
Submitted by: John Gibbons
Region: Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 10, 2022
Observation date: Aug 08, 2022
Submitted by: ian pepper
Region: Essex County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 08, 2022
Observation date: Jul 25, 2022
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Aug 07, 2022
Observation date: Jun 23, 2021
Submitted by: Bob Crowley
Region: Coos County, New Hampshire, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Aug 06, 2022
Observation date: Aug 03, 2022
Submitted by: ian pepper
Region: Essex County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 03, 2022
Observation date: Jul 25, 2022
Submitted by: dave mcelveen
Region: Koochiching County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 01, 2022
Observation date: Jul 02, 2022
Submitted by: NikkiM
Region: Carbon County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jul 25, 2022
Observation date: Jul 12, 2022
Submitted by: Buzztail1
Region: Tucker County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 14, 2022
Observation date: Jul 06, 2022
Submitted by: Pheasantboy77
Region: Madison County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jul 13, 2022
Observation date: May 05, 2022
Submitted by: ian pepper
Region: Essex County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 06, 2022
Observation date: Sep 27, 2017
Submitted by: Kalley girl
Region: Nova Scotia, Canada
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Feb 27, 2022
Observation date: Jul 10, 2021
Submitted by: NikkiM
Region: Carbon County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jan 14, 2022
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