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Nathalis iole Hodges #4248
Dainty Sulphur
Dwarf Yellow
Florida native
Resident butterfly of the Florida peninsula south to Guatemala. Can be found in the summer throughout the Great Plains into Minnesota, Wyoming and southeast Idaho and Washingtton states.
Nathalis iole is the smallest member of the whites and sulphurs family and the only species of its genus in North America. The wingspan is 2-3cm with the forewings elongated. The upperside is yellow with black markings, the females having more black than the males. The undersides are pale yellowish with a deeper yellow to orange patch at he base and small black marks along the outer edge. The undersides of winter populations may be greenish gray and a rare white population is known mainly from near Homestead.
Dainty sulphurs feed mainly on low-growing asters including species of Bidens, various sneezeweed and common chickweed (Stellaria media).
Nathalis iole is a member of the Pieridae - Whites & Sulphurs family.
iNaturalist profile for this species
For more information on this species, visit the following link:
Bugguide.net page for this species
Date record last modified: Aug 17, 2023
