|
Life Cycle: Caterpillar ranges up to 5/8", dark green with purple
stripes on its back, and parallel black and yellow stripes on the
side. Caterpillars feed on sneezeweed, both bur and garden variety
marigolds, pinks and chickweeds. Chrysalis is smooth, green. Flight:
Year-round in south, later northward.
Habitat: Disturbed areas,
grasslands, canyons, dry streambeds, watercourses, railroad
rights-of-way.
Range: Resident in southern California, Arizona
and Gulf States, south into Mexico. Emigrants to Midwest and
Manitoba; rarely into northwest or northeast U.S.
Dwarf
Yellows emigrate northwards every spring following river corridors.
They reproduce rapidly and can live in dry, weedy areas. Yet they
cannot withstand cold weather, and die off every autumn.
Photographed February 11, 2003 at San Antonio, Texas. Ambient
temperature 65 degrees, sunny. The dainty sulphur butterfly is the
smallest North American Pierid. This mating pair was found in a dry
creek bed - dainty sulphurs are known to use creeks and rivers as
their migratory routes northward each spring.
|
