Butterflies of North Carolina

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Scientific Name begins with:
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Once on a species account page, clicking on the "View PDF" link will show the flight data for that species, for each of the three regions of the state.
Other information, such as high counts and earliest/latest dates, can also been seen on the PDF page.

Related Species in PIERIDAE:
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Common Name

Orange Sulphur by Randy Newman => Fort Macon State Park, 2003-07-26
[View PDF]

Click to enlarge
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Scientific Name

Colias eurytheme

Link to BAMONA species account.

Map

Click on a county for list of all database records for the species in that county.

Distribution

DISTRIBUTION: Statewide; undoubtedly occurs in all 100 counties in NC.

Abundance

ABUNDANCE: Declining. Fairly common to common in the Mountains and upper Piedmont; may be abundant in a few areas (such as some Mountain meadows). Mostly fairly common (at least locally) in the Piedmont, and uncommon in the Coastal Plain (now). It has greatly declined in NC in the past 20 years and can be uncommon now in some counties in the Piedmont and Mountains.

Flight

FLIGHT PERIOD: Several broods, probably four or five; mainly from early March to late November, with scattered records in December, January, and February. The species has no gaps in the flight periods in the three provinces in NC.

Habitat

HABITAT: Open country, usually in cultivated areas. Most common in cultivated fields with Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) or other legumes; dozens may also be seen flying over fields and meadows. Also seen along woodland borders, gardens, etc. It is not found in the shade of forests.

See also Habitat Account for General Fields, Gardens, and Ruderal Habitats

Plants

FOOD AND NECTAR PLANTS: Foodplants are legumes such as Alfalfa and clovers (Trifolium spp.). The species nectars on a wide variety of plants, particularly in croplands with flowers -- Alfalfa, Red Clover (Trifolium pratense), White Clover (T. repens), etc.

Comments

COMMENTS: Identification of this species versus Clouded Sulphur is often difficult. However, this species certainly outnumbers the Clouded over nearly all of the state, especially in the Coastal Plain and most of the Piedmont. The historic range of this species in North America is uncertain, but it spread in range and in numbers with the increase in croplands in the East. Despite its numbers in NC, it is usually far outnumbered in most of the Coastal Plain, especially from July onward, by the Sleepy Orange and the Cloudless Sulphur.

Numbers were severely curtailed over much of the state by cold, wet weather in spring 1999, and populations were slow to recover in 1999-2000. A drought lasting at least four years, and the continued loss of farmland to development, has sent numbers tumbling recently. Some Fourth of July counts are now having difficulty in finding this species, even in areas where formerly numerous 20 years ago.

State Rank

State Status

Global Rank

Federal Status

Synonym

Other Name

Alfalfa Butterfly

Links to other butterfly galleries: [Cook] [Lynch] [Pippen] [Pugh]
Photo Gallery for Orange Sulphur
	Photo by: Roger Rittmaster Comment: Durham Co. Orange Sulphur - Click to enlarge	Photo by: Sven Halling Comment: female, Sep 27, 2014, Pilot Mountain State Park, Surry County Orange Sulphur - Click to enlarge
	Photo by: Sven Halling Comment: June 11, 2013, Madison County Orange Sulphur - Click to enlarge	Photo by: Sven Halling Comment: male, June 11, 2013, Madison County Orange Sulphur - Click to enlarge
	Photo by: Sven Halling Comment: female, Sep 20, 2012, Dinkins Bottoms, Yadkin County Orange Sulphur - Click to enlarge	Photo by: Salman Abdulali Comment: female, River Park North, Pitt County, 2007-Nov-01 Orange Sulphur - Click to enlarge
	Photo by: Tom Sanders Comment: 15-Aug-2010; Rural Hill, Mecklenburg County Orange Sulphur - Click to enlarge