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 169 - 192 of 2290 verified sightings
Observation date: Nov 01, 2021
Submitted by: hasfitz5
Region: Baja California Sur, Mexico
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Oct 11, 2022
Observation date: Oct 31, 2021
Submitted by: hasfitz5
Region: Baja California Sur, Mexico
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Oct 11, 2022
Observation date: Jul 15, 2017
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: Chiapas, Mexico
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Oct 11, 2022
Observation date: Oct 09, 2022
Submitted by: Seth Mueller
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 09, 2022
Observation date: Oct 01, 2022
Submitted by: billd
Region: Blaine County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 06, 2022
Observation date: Jul 15, 2022
Submitted by: Jonathan Clark
Region: Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 25, 2022
Observation date: Oct 25, 2013
Submitted by: tjrickert
Region: Queretaro de Arteaga, Mexico
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 25, 2022
Observation date: Sep 28, 2014
Submitted by: colias3
Region: Guanajuato, Mexico
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Sep 16, 2022
Observation date: Sep 10, 2022
Submitted by: Eric Wood
Region: Boone County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Eric Wood
Verified date: Sep 15, 2022
Observation date: Aug 23, 2022
Submitted by: hasfitz5
Region: Cochise County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Sep 11, 2022
Observation date: Sep 04, 2022
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 06, 2022
Observation date: Sep 04, 2022
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 06, 2022
Observation date: Sep 05, 2022
Submitted by: billd
Region: Kingfisher County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 06, 2022
Observation date: Nov 01, 2021
Submitted by: hasfitz5
Region: Baja California Sur, Mexico
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 21, 2022
Observation date: Jul 05, 2022
Submitted by: Lyndie Mason Warner
Region: Navajo County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Aug 19, 2022
Observation date: Aug 15, 2022
Submitted by: radek_smolec
Region: Santa Barbara County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 15, 2022
Observation date: Aug 04, 2022
Submitted by: Bill Uttenweiler
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 06, 2022
Observation date: Jul 28, 2022
Submitted by: Janet Ruth
Region: Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Aug 02, 2022
Observation date: Jul 14, 2022
Submitted by: Bill Uttenweiler
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jul 15, 2022
Observation date: Aug 20, 2021
Submitted by: aarongunnar
Region: Texas, Randall County, United States
Verified by: Emily Geest
Verified date: Jul 09, 2022
Observation date: Jun 26, 2022
Submitted by: camflies
Region: Santa Barbara County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 06, 2022
Observation date: Jun 05, 2022
Submitted by: camflies
Region: Santa Barbara County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 06, 2022
Observation date: Jul 02, 2022
Submitted by: JudyLY
Region: Chaves County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 06, 2022
Observation date: Jun 21, 2022
Submitted by: Lyndie Mason Warner
Region: Navajo County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Jun 24, 2022
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