North American Butterflies and Moths List

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Butterflies of North America

Butterflies of Wyoming

Pelidne Sulphur (Colias pelidne)
JPG -- species photo

Pelidne sulphur (Colias pelidne Boisduval & LeConte)

Wing span: 1 1/4 - 1 3/4 inches (3.2 - 4.4 cm).

Identification: Upperside of male pale yellow with wide black border and small black cell spot. Female white (most common) or yellow; dark border may be incomplete. Underside of hindwing of both sexes with dense black scales.

Life history: Males patrol near blueberry and willows for females.

Flight: One flight from late June-July.

Caterpillar hosts: Blueberry (Vaccinium species) and wintergreen (Gaultheria humifusa) in the heath family (Ericaceae).

Adult food: Flower nectar.

Habitat: Arctic tundra, subarctic forest openings and meadows.

Range: Northern Rocky Mountains from Alberta south to Wyoming.

Conservation: Not usually required.

Management needs: Not reported.

The Nature Conservancy Global Rank: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.

References:


Opler, P. A. and V. Malikul. 1992. A field guide to eastern  butterflies.

     Peterson field guide #4. Houghton-Mifflin Co.,  Boston. 396 pages, 

     48 color plates.



Scott, J. A. 1986. The butterflies of North America. Stanford  University 

     Press, Stanford, Calif. 583 pages, 64 color plates.



Tilden, J. W. 1986. A field guide to western butterflies.  Houghton-Mifflin 

     Co., Boston, Mass. 370 pages, 23 color plates.

Author: Jane M. Struttmann

State and Regional References:


Ferris, C.D. and F.M. Brown. 1980. Butterflies of the Rocky Mountain States. 

     University of Oklahoma Press. Norman.



Ferris, C.D. 1971. An Annotated Checklist of the Rhopalocera [Butterflies] of 

     Wyoming. University of Wyoming Agriculture Experiment Station Science 

     Monograph 23: 1-75.   



Opler, Paul A. 1999. Peterson Field Guide to Western Butterflies, revised 

     edition. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Mass.



Stanford, R.E. and P.A. Opler. 1993. Atlas of Western USA Butterflies. 

     Privately published, Denver, Colo. 



Tilden, J.W. and A.C. Smith. 1986. A Field Guide to Western Butterflies. 

     Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Mass.

Pelidne Sulphur (Colias pelidne)
distribution map
map legend

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