The Orange Sulphur is a widespread and familiar butterfly across North America, commonly seen in open habitats like fields, roadsides, and meadows. It’s relatively small, with bright yellow-orange wings lightly dusted with blue-brown spots and edged in a delicate pink border. Females often have small white or silvery spots on the underside of their wings, adding to their subtle beauty.
“Orange Sulphur – Blanket Flower“, by Ken Slade, licensed under (CC BY-NC 2.0)
Orange Sulphur Facts
Butterfly Family: Whites and Sulphurs (Pieridae)
Butterfly Subfamily: Coliadinae
Butterfly Wingspan: 1 3/8 – 2 3/4 inches
Butterfly Habitat: A wide variety of open sites, especially clover and alfalfa fields, mowed fields, vacant lots, meadows, and road edges
🪴 Host Plants
These are the plants where females lay eggs and caterpillars feed:
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Alfalfa (Medicago sativa)
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Clover (Trifolium spp.)
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Garden Vetch (Vicia sativa)
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Vetch (Vicia spp.)
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Wild Indigo (Baptisia spp.)
🌸 Nectar Plants
Adult Orange Sulphur butterflies feed on nectar from a variety of native flowers:
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Asters (Symphyotrichum spp.)
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Blazing Star (Liatris spp.)
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Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
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Clover (Trifolium spp.)
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Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)
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Goldenrod (Solidago spp.)
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Ironweed (Vernonia spp.)
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Joe-Pye Weed (Eutrochium purpureum)
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Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum spp.)
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Phlox (Phlox paniculata or P. divaricata)
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Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
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Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
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Wild Quinine (Parthenium integrifolium)
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Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)