Little Yellow

Little Yellow

Pyrisitia lisa
WHITE AND SULPHUR FAMILY (Pieridae)

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The Little Yellow Butterfly has a wingspan of 1.1 to 1.7 inches. It is bright yellow with black edging on the dorsal side. The black is rarely seen except in flight because they always sit with wings closed. Both species have a pink to brownish spot at the apex of the ventral side of the hindwing, but it is usually paler on the male. They also have various scattered small black spots on the hindwing, but usually there are 2 on the inner edge. They have green eyes and whitish legs. The other yellow butterflies in our area are the Orange Sulphur and the Clouded Sulphur which are both larger and the Dainty Sulphur which is smaller.

 

This butterfly is a southern immigrant that strays into our area in mid to late summer. Some years it can be quite common at Fontenelle Forest and Neale Woods. It flies close to the ground and nectars on small flowers, particularly Common Chickweed found in abundance on the Krimlofski Tract at Neale Woods in mid-summer.

 

The caterpillars feed on the leaves of Partridge Pea. The larva are mostly green with a few faint dark lines over the thorax and one along the side of the abdomen. The scientific name was formerly Eurema lisa.

 

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