Sleepy Orange

Subject: Many Yellow Butterflies Keeping Me from Work
Location: Coryell County, central Texas
December 4, 2012 3:22 pm
I’ve never tried to capture or identify the yellow butterflies that constantly seem to visit our yard, but today this seems so much more entertaining than sitting at the work table. I don’t know if I have this one right, but I think it’s in the Pieridae family, perhaps a Mexican yellow, Eurema mexicana. I looked in Bug Guide and in Butterflies and Moths of North America. I’m so sorry it isn’t a better photo. The weather continues warm and partly cloudy here in central Texas.
Signature: Ellen

Sleepy Orange

Hi Ellen,
We like your attitude.  You properly identified the family, but we believe this is a winter form of the Sleepy Orange, Lbaeis nicippe, based on this photo on BugGuide.  It is described on BugGuide as being:  “A medium-sized Pierid with a rather slow flight, usually close to the ground. Upperside of wings flash a lovely burnt orange. Underside of wings have variable markings: in winter form, underside of hindwing is brick red, brown, or tan; in summer form it is orange-yellow. Diagonal brown markings on underside of hindwings are distinguishable in all variations.”

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