Need help identifying this butterfly
Wed, Mar 25, 2009 at 6:08 PM I was out in the yard this evening here in Brackettville, Texas (southwest Texas) when this butterfly landed on the fence. I didn’t see it with its wings open. It seemed fairly small to me, not much bigger than an American Snout. I thought it must be some type of Sulphur because of the coloring but I’ve been looking around online for two hours and haven’t seen anything that looks like it. Thank you!
Genie
Brackettville, Tx
Dear Genie,
We quickly identified your Falcate Orangetip, Anthocheris midea, in our Butterflies Through Binoculars: The West book by Jeffrey Glassberg. The hooked forewing apex is quite unique. We then tried to find images online to link to. Jeff’s Nature Page has gorgeous images of this lovely butterfly, but only one showed the closed wing pose of your individual. The Lens Flare website has a lovely image of a mated pair. BugGuide indicates that the adults take nectar from spring flowers like Spring Beauty, and the caterpillars feed on plants in the mustard family.
Thank you so much for your help! I’d never have been able to identify this. The links are awesome.
Now I wish the light had been different (it was sunset) when I shot this. You can’t see just how remarkable the coloring is. Oh well. I’m delighted to have been introduced to a new butterfly.
Thanks again!