Clouded Sulphur

Appearance

The upper side of the male's wings is yellow with black borders. The upper side of the female's wings is either yellow or greenish-white with yellow- or white-spotted black borders. The underside of the male's wings is yellow while the female's is yellow or greenish-white, and both have a double hind wing spot trimmed in brownish-red. Its wingspan 32 to 54 mm.

White form: This species has a white form which can be confused with a ''Pieris rapae''.

Naming

Colias philodice Godart, 1819

Distribution

All of North America except the Arctic, Labrador, Nunavut, and northern Quebec, part of California, and tropical Florida.

Behavior

The pale yellow eggs are laid singly on the host plants. The eggs turn red after a few days, then turn gray just before they hatch. The young larvae will eat one another. The larva is green with a white stripe running along each side of the body. The white stripes may contain bars or lines of pink or orange. The green chrysalis hangs up right by a silken girdle. Just before eclosion, the chrysalis turns yellow with a pink "zipper".

Habitat

This butterfly may be encountered in fields, lawns, Alfalfa or Clover fields, meadows, and roadsides. Swarms of these butterflies will congregate at mud puddles.

Food

Larvae feed on alfalfa, clover, vetches, and other legumes.