(Nathalis iole)
Sulphurs
Appearance: Our smallest sulphur. Upper side yellow with black markings; female blacker than male. Elongated forewing below has submarginal black spots and a yellowish basal area. Hindwing below varies from pale yellow to gray-green.
Wingspan: Small; 3/4 to 1 1/4 inch.
Habitat: Open, dry places, fields, grasslands, meadows and hillsides; plains, foothills, montane. (Found high in the Rocky Mountains per Pyle, 2002). Flies close to the ground.
Flight Times: May through September.
Larval Foodplant: Aster family, such as fetid and marsh marigold, dogwood, cosmos, and sneezeweeds.
Did You Know…
“Multiple generations erupt northward, and no stage overwinters in the north” (Pyle, 2002). Cannot survive cold winters, therefore re-colonizes every summer.
