Our final unit this year is butterflies. Over the next week or so, as we wind down the Pathfinder year, we will share a bit about a few local butterflies, and encourage our SAIL supporters to go out and find some butterflies yourself while enjoying nature.
Dainty Sulphur (Nathalis iole), the smallest of our local Sulphurs
If you see a medium-sized yellow butterfly here in Central Texas, chances are it is one of the Sulphurs (so called due to their color). The Sulphurs and their cousins the Whites are part of the Pieridae family of butterflies, a worldwide group of more than 1000 different species. Here in Texas, we have 48 of the 65 North American species. As their name implies, and particularly for our local members, the Whites and Sulphurs are either white or yellow, without the strong patterns seen in other types of butterflies.
At first glance, these can be difficult to tell apart (particularly among our local Sulphurs). Often, the most distinguishing characteristics are on the upper side of the wings, but these are rarely seen when the butterfly is at rest, and are almost always in rapid fluttery motion when they are on the move. Wing shape, subtle colors, and small patterns are often the best way to tell them apart, though given their propensity to hybridize, the occasional sexual dimorphism, and some seasonal variations, even these diagnostic characteristics can be hard to spot when a sulphur briefly alights on a flower and closes its wings.
The larvae of the Sulphurs generally eat plants in the Fabaceae Family (beans and legumes), while the White larvae feed on the Brassicaceae Family (cabbages and mustards). The adults seem to like a wide variety of flowers. Keep your eye out for Sulphurs the next time you are our and about. They are the very quintessential butter (colored) fly!
At first glance, these can be difficult to tell apart (particularly among our local Sulphurs). Often, the most distinguishing characteristics are on the upper side of the wings, but these are rarely seen when the butterfly is at rest, and are almost always in rapid fluttery motion when they are on the move. Wing shape, subtle colors, and small patterns are often the best way to tell them apart, though given their propensity to hybridize, the occasional sexual dimorphism, and some seasonal variations, even these diagnostic characteristics can be hard to spot when a sulphur briefly alights on a flower and closes its wings.
The larvae of the Sulphurs generally eat plants in the Fabaceae Family (beans and legumes), while the White larvae feed on the Brassicaceae Family (cabbages and mustards). The adults seem to like a wide variety of flowers. Keep your eye out for Sulphurs the next time you are our and about. They are the very quintessential butter (colored) fly!
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