 Garden in San Clemente, Orange County, CA.10-17-13. © Robert Gorman. |
Sleepy Orange Eurema nicippe The underside of the wings varies seasonally: summer forms are bright yellow with brick red markings, while winter forms are browner and more heavily marked (Wikipedia). Lepidoptera: Pieridae Back to Butterflies of Orange County, California |
 Garden in San Clemente, Orange County, CA.10-17-13. © Robert Gorman. |
 Garden in San Clemente, Orange County, CA.10-17-13. © Robert Gorman. |
 Garden in San Clemente, Orange County, CA.10-23-13. © Robert Gorman. |
 Garden in San Clemente, Orange County, CA.10-23-13. © Robert Gorman. |
 Garden in San Clemente, Orange County, CA.10-23-13. © Robert Gorman. |
 Garden in San Clemente, Orange County, CA.10-23-13. © Robert Gorman. |
 Garden in San Clemente, Orange County, CA.10-23-13. © Robert Gorman. |
 Garden in San Clemente, Orange County, CA.10-23-13. © Robert Gorman. |
 Garden in San Clemente, Orange County, CA.10-23-13. © Robert Gorman. |
 Winter form. © Peter J. Bryant. The underside of the wings varies seasonally: summer forms are bright yellow with brick red markings, while winter forms are browner and more heavily marked (Wikipedia). |
 Garden in San Clemente, Orange County, CA.10-23-13. © Robert Gorman. |
 Caterpillar on native desert Cassia in Anza Borrego desert. 9-29-13. © Robert Gorman. |
 Larva on Christmas Senna (Winter Cassia), Senna bicapsularis. Garden in San Clemente, Orange County, CA.10-14-13. © Robert Gorman. |
 Pupa on Christmas Senna (Winter Cassia), Senna bicapsularis. Garden in San Clemente, Orange County, CA.10-14-13. © Robert Gorman. |
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Characteristics: The wing shape and bright orange color are good key characteristics for distinguishing nicippe from our other sulfur butterflies. Forewing length: 21-24 mm. Similar Species: The Sleepy Sulfur could be mistaken in flight for Colias eurytheme, which is larger in size. Eurema mexicana is similar in form and size but is yellow-white in color. Habitats, Behavior: The species is often encountered passing through backyards. The butterfly is an erratic and often rapid flier when frightened. Distribution: In Orange County Eurema nicippe is limited in distribution to urbanized areas wherever the larval foodplant has been utilized for landscaping purposes. Flight Period: This sulfur flies throughout the year in some areas of Southern California. Orange County records extend from February to November with most captures occurring in August and September. Larval Foodplants: Introduced Cassia spp., probably C. tomentosa in Orange County. Other Remarks: This species occurred in Orange County even in the early part of this century. Although the foodplant seems to be as extensively planted as ever, the butterfly in Orange County is presently rather scarce for unknown reasons. Perhaps many of our records represent strays from the California or Arizona desert regions, where Cassia is native. From Orsak, L. J. (1977). The Butterflies of Orange County, California. Center for Pathobiology Miscellaneous Publication #3. University of California Press, New York. 349pp. Return to Butterflies and their larval foodplants |
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