Family: Pieridae, Whites and Sulphurs view all from this family

Description 1-1 1/2" (25-38 mm). Small. Bright yellow above with black FW tips and margins on male, black often reduced to spot on female or series of connected spots at ends of veins. Female sometimes white with black markings. Below, yellow-green with dark smudges, including rust-colored spot in upper HW margin.

Similar Species Mimosa Yellow is smaller with reduced areas of black on edges and orange spot on HW tip.

Life Cycle Egg minute. Caterpillar, to 3/4" (19 mm), green with fine pile and white side stripes; feeds on legumes such as senna (Cassia) and partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata), clovers (Trifolium), as well as hog peanut (Amphicarpa).

Flight Year-round in far South; May-October farther north.

Habitat Many disturbed and natural open areas, especially roadsides and fields.

Range Lake States and New England south, between Mississippi Valley and Atlantic to Gulf, South America, and West Indies.

Discussion Although common fairly far north in late summer, the Little Yellow cannot survive temperate or northern winters. The species refills the Northeast and Midwest every year with fresh immigrants, which furnish 1 or 2 more broods before the autumn chill kills them. Vast numbers of Little Yellows emigrate to the Caribbean and Atlantic. Columbus is supposed to have witnessed from the decks of the Santa Maria one such mass movement, probably consisting of this species or the Cloudless Giant Sulphur.