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 1803 verified sightings
Observation date: Mar 23, 2019
Submitted by: the janitors son
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Mar 24, 2019
Observation date: Mar 11, 2019
Submitted by: Englishman
Region: Pinellas County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Mar 13, 2019
Observation date: Feb 14, 2019
Submitted by: docj77
Region: Indian River County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Feb 14, 2019
Observation date: Feb 02, 2019
Submitted by: hiker96
Region: Maricopa County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Feb 03, 2019
Observation date: Jan 07, 2019
Submitted by: the janitors son
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jan 07, 2019
Observation date: Dec 27, 2018
Submitted by: mjlttown
Region: Pima County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Jan 01, 2019
Observation date: May 17, 2018
Submitted by: MothLady41
Region: DeSoto County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Dec 17, 2018
Observation date: Nov 05, 2018
Submitted by: Jeff Trahan
Region: Cameron County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Nov 25, 2018
Observation date: Nov 04, 2018
Submitted by: HSVGardenGirl
Region: Saline County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Nov 05, 2018
Observation date: Oct 20, 2018
Submitted by: cosmic_cat
Region: Latimer County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Oct 24, 2018
Observation date: Oct 12, 2018
Submitted by: Reneerob17
Region: Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Oct 22, 2018
Observation date: Sep 30, 2018
Submitted by: eddysfo
Region: Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: A_baldini
Verified date: Oct 19, 2018
Observation date: Sep 30, 2018
Submitted by: hiker96
Region: Maricopa County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Oct 11, 2018
Observation date: Sep 16, 2018
Submitted by: mackhitch
Region: Logan County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: A_baldini
Verified date: Sep 22, 2018
Observation date: Sep 12, 2018
Submitted by: cosmic_cat
Region: Gregg County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Sep 12, 2018
Observation date: Sep 04, 2018
Submitted by: IronShikra
Region: Leon County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Sep 12, 2018
Observation date: Sep 10, 2018
Submitted by: Littlewing
Region: Crawford County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Sep 10, 2018
Observation date: Aug 16, 2018
Submitted by: BOGwalker
Region: St. Louis County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Aug 28, 2018
Observation date: Aug 25, 2018
Submitted by: dbrudin
Region: El Paso County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: A_baldini
Verified date: Aug 27, 2018
Observation date: Oct 21, 2015
Submitted by: Mark Ekker
Region: Mohave County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Aug 23, 2018
Observation date: Aug 15, 2018
Submitted by: seemayer
Region: Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 21, 2018
Observation date: Aug 13, 2018
Submitted by: Cactuswren1976
Region: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Aug 17, 2018
Observation date: Aug 09, 2018
Submitted by: Robert Nelson
Region: Baxter County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 09, 2018
Observation date: Jul 23, 2018
Submitted by: Cactuswren1976
Region: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Aug 07, 2018
- 1 of 76
- next ›