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.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 457 - 480 of 2292 verified sightings
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: Bill Uttenweiler
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
Observation date: Jun 24, 2019
Submitted by: WINGSaloftinKS
Region: Douglas County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jun 25, 2019
Observation date: Jul 11, 2018
Submitted by: storolaf
Region: Coconino County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Jun 16, 2019
Observation date: May 29, 2019
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Yavapai County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Jun 16, 2019
Observation date: May 24, 2019
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Texas, Val Verde County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jun 13, 2019
Observation date: Jun 12, 2019
Submitted by: Bill Uttenweiler
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jun 12, 2019
Observation date: Jun 08, 2019
Submitted by: Jonathan Clark
Region: La Salle Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jun 09, 2019
Observation date: May 25, 2019
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jun 02, 2019
Observation date: May 25, 2019
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jun 02, 2019
Observation date: May 26, 2019
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jun 02, 2019
Observation date: Jun 02, 2019
Submitted by: Bill Uttenweiler
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jun 02, 2019
Observation date: May 25, 2019
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jun 01, 2019
Observation date: Apr 21, 2019
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jun 01, 2019
Observation date: May 19, 2019
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jun 01, 2019
Observation date: May 19, 2019
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jun 01, 2019
Observation date: Jul 15, 2018
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: May 30, 2019
Observation date: May 28, 2018
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: May 29, 2019
Observation date: May 22, 2019
Submitted by: Englishman
Region: Pinellas County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: May 26, 2019
Observation date: May 24, 2019
Submitted by: TacNex
Region: Trego County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: May 25, 2019
Observation date: May 16, 2019
Submitted by: Bill Uttenweiler
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: May 19, 2019
Observation date: Apr 23, 2019
Submitted by: tnjbodker
Region: Burnet County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: May 10, 2019
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