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Dainty Sulphur
Nathalis iole
Pieridae

Copyright by: Beryn Harty

Description:
The smallest yellow butterfly in Florida with a wingspan up to 1-1/4 inches. The upperside is greenish-yellow with black markings and a black bar on the trailing margin. The markings are more extensive on the female, which also has an orange flush on the hindwing. The underside has an orange or yellow patch with black spots. The hindwing is dusky green in the winter form and pale yellow in the summer form. The caterpillar is green with a narrow purple stripe on the back and the sides. The chrysalis is green.
Range:
North America, Caribbean, Central America
 Map of native range by ZIP code north to Indian River and Manatee counties.
Distribution and Abundance in Florida:
Common throughout range; adults and caterpillars present all year in South Florida and the Keys.
Habitat(s):
Disturbed areas such as weedy fields, grasslands and road edges.
Reproduction:
Three or more broods per year. The yellow, spindle-shaped eggs are laid singly on the leaves of host plant seedlings.
Natural History:
Adults fly very close to the ground.
Food:
Larval host plants include the native turkey tangle fogfruit (Phyla nodiflora), weedy native Spanish-needles (Bidens alba var. radiata), and the nonnative Indian-chickweed (Mollugo verticillata. Native nectar plants include Spanish-needles.
Comments:
For more information, visit the Florida Museum of Natural History's Florida Wildflowers & Butterflies website and Butterflies and Moths of North America. See also the Florida Wildflower Foundation's Know Your Native Pollinators page.

Copyright by: Beryn Harty

Copyright by: Beryn Harty

Copyright by: Beryn Harty
Egg laying.



 
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