Tag Archives: dainty sulphur

Dainty everywhere

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The dainty sulphur, the smallest yellow butterfly, were in abundance this morning, sipping from weeds in the yard. These littles, wingspan 2.2 to 3.0 centimeters, fly very fast and are hard to capture with their wings open.

The females have more orange and extensive black on their upper hindwing, while the males are bright yellow with black markings.

The host plant for these littles are of the Spanish needle, a herb of the aster family. The caterpillars are exposed, but are difficult to find due to the size. They would definitely be fun to find as they are green with a purple stripe.

Littles

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The dainty sulphur, the smallest yellow butterfly, is frequenting the yard once again, as the grass is growing due to all the recent rain.

I have read that the males are brighter yellow with black markings, while the female appears to be more orange with extensive black on the upper hindwing. The wingspan is tiny, 2.2 to 3.0 centimeters.

This butterfly is always seen flying low to the ground, pretty erratic, as it lands on various blades of grass, and flowers. So far it has been incredibly hard to photograph with the wings open.

The host plant, however is Spanish needle, which is a herb in the aster family. The caterpillars are hard to find, due to its size being incredibly small and the color.

Littles came back

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Dainty sulphur, wingspan of 20 to 30 mm
Dainty sulphur

There were probably a dozen dainty sulphurs flying around the yard this afternoon, landing on grass and the Spanish needles, weeds, that grow amongst the long blades. They are little bursts of yellow in a sea of green.

Spanish needle

The Spanish needles are a favorite of this butterfly, which grows naturally in our lawn. According to the University of Florida extension office the Spanish needle can be found growing in an abundance of places such as pastures, forest clearings, wetlands, roadsides, ditch banks and landscapes. The weeds can be found in abundance during the warmer months when the rain is constant.

The Spanish needle has four to five long broad white petals that surround a tubular yellow center and are plentiful in our yard. Apparently these can grow up to 36 inches in height, and once established can have a woody stem as it ages. The seeds of these species can colonize quickly, which is fine if it continues to attract this little one to our yard.