Orange-barred Sulphur
Phoebis philea (Linnaeus, 1763)
Family: Pieridae
Subfamily: Coliadinae
Identification: Upperside of male bright yellow-orange; forewing has red-orange bar and hindwing has red-orange outer margin. The two forms of the female, one off-white and the other yellow-orange, are much larger than the male. Both have upperside of forewing with solid black cell spot and a submarginal row of broken, angled black smudges. Outer half of hindwing of yellow form is red-orange.
Wing Span: 2 3/4 - 4 inches (7 - 10.2 cm).
Life History: Swift, high fliers. Females lay single eggs on leaves and flowers of host plants; caterpillars prefer to feed on the flowers. Development is continous in the wet season.
Flight: Two-three flights in Florida, one in northern range from mid-late summer.
Caterpillar Hosts: Cassia species in the pea family (Fabaceae).
Adult Food: Nectar from many different flowers.
Habitat: Open lowland sites such as gardens, forest edges, parks, road edges.
Range: Resident from Brazil north to peninsular Florida and the Keys. Irregular wanderer to south Texas; extremely rare vagrant in Colorado, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Connecticut.
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 313 - 336 of 436 verified sightings
Observation date: Oct 15, 2006
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Mike Overton, Paul Opler)
Region: Tamaulipas, Mexico
Verified by: legacy.verifier (Mike Overton)
Verified date: Oct 01, 2007
Observation date: Oct 15, 2006
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Mike Overton, Paul Opler)
Region: San Luis Potosi, Mexico
Verified by: legacy.verifier (Mike Overton)
Verified date: Oct 01, 2007
Observation date: Oct 16, 2006
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Mike Overton, Paul Opler)
Region: Tamaulipas, Mexico
Verified by: legacy.verifier (Mike Overton)
Verified date: Oct 01, 2007
Observation date: Oct 10, 1929
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Taney County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Phillip E. Koenig (Phillip Koenig)
Verified date: Mar 12, 2007
Observation date: Jan 01, 1962
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: St. Louis County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Phillip E. Koenig (Phillip Koenig)
Verified date: Mar 12, 2007
Observation date: Jul 16, 1956
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Pavulaan, Harry)
Region: Livingston County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Phillip E. Koenig (Phillip Koenig)
Verified date: Mar 12, 2007
Observation date: Jan 01, 1941
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Greene County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Phillip E. Koenig (Phillip Koenig)
Verified date: Mar 12, 2007
Observation date: Nov 04, 2002
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (North American Butterfly Association (NABA) of South Texas))
Region: Hidalgo County, Texas, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (North American Butterfly Association (NABA) of South Texas))
Verified date: Jan 29, 2007
Observation date: Nov 20, 2002
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (North American Butterfly Association (NABA) of South Texas))
Region: Texas, Travis County, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (North American Butterfly Association (NABA) of South Texas))
Verified date: Jan 29, 2007
Observation date: Aug 15, 2006
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Don Dubois)
Region: Texas, Montgomery County, United States
Verified by: nick.grishin (Nick Grishin)
Verified date: Nov 14, 2006
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Watauga County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: harrylegrand (Harry LeGrand)
Verified date: Oct 25, 2006
Observation date: Oct 07, 2006
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Elaine Halbedel)
Region: Pima County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (Elaine Halbedel)
Verified date: Oct 11, 2006
Observation date: Oct 08, 2006
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Robert A. Behrstock)
Region: Cochise County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: paulopler (Paul Opler)
Verified date: Oct 11, 2006
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Riverside County, California, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Decatur County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Cameron County, Texas, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Ellis County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Flagler County, Florida, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Wayne County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Manatee County, Florida, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Coahuila De Zaragoza, Mexico
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Polk County, Florida, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Otero County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
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