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 481 - 504 of 2292 verified sightings
Observation date: May 08, 2019
Submitted by: Bill Uttenweiler
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: May 08, 2019
Observation date: Apr 22, 2019
Submitted by: Jay Brasher
Region: Crawford County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: May 07, 2019
Observation date: Apr 29, 2019
Submitted by: yardbird
Region: Hidalgo County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: May 07, 2019
Observation date: Apr 30, 2019
Submitted by: Bill Uttenweiler
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Apr 30, 2019
Observation date: Apr 21, 2019
Submitted by: Bill Uttenweiler
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Apr 23, 2019
Observation date: Apr 11, 2019
Submitted by: fragglecat
Region: Hays County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Apr 21, 2019
Observation date: Apr 16, 2019
Submitted by: GPete
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Apr 19, 2019
Observation date: Apr 05, 2019
Submitted by: Bill Uttenweiler
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Apr 08, 2019
Observation date: Mar 26, 2019
Submitted by: ezeemonee
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Mar 31, 2019
Observation date: Mar 23, 2019
Submitted by: Bill Uttenweiler
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: Bill Uttenweiler
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
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