Zerene eurydice, the California dogface butterfly, is sometimes placed in the related genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 as Colias

Colias

Colias is a genus of butterflies in the family Pieridae. They are usually called clouded yellows; the North American name "sulphurs" is elsewhere used for Coliadinae in general. The closest living relative is the genus Zerene, which is sometimes included in Colias.This genus occurs throughout the...

 eurydice. It is endemic to California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, and its state insect insignia.

First state insect

The California dogface butterfly has been the state insect of the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 since 1972. Its endemic range is limited to the state. California was the first state to choose a state insect — and thus, to choose a butterfly

Butterfly

A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...

 — though most of the other states have now followed, and many even have both a state insect and state butterfly.

Description

The 'dogface' name comes from a wing pattern resembling a dog's face (some think it looks like a poodle) which is found on the male of the species. Its wings are an iridescent bluish-black, orange and sulfur-yellow in color. The female has a small black dot on each of its yellow forewings. The typical forewing length is between 22 to 31 mm.
See picture (main page) — unfortunately lacking the dog-pattern.

Food and habitat

Larvae feed on Amorpha californica

Amorpha californica

Amorpha californica is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name California false indigo.It is native to California, Arizona, and northern Baja California, where it grows in the California chaparral and woodlands and other chaparral and oak woodlands...

, the False Indigo.

Adults feed on flower nectar. They are said to be especially fond of purple flowers.

In the California chaparral and woodlands

California chaparral and woodlands

The California chaparral and woodlands is a terrestrial ecoregion of lower northern, central, and southern California and northwestern Baja California , located on the west coast of North America...

 habitats of the Santa Ana Mountains

Santa Ana Mountains

The Santa Ana Mountains are a short peninsular mountain range along the coast of Southern California in the United States. They extend for approximately 36 mi southeast of the Los Angeles Basin largely along the border between Orange and Riverside counties.- Geography :The range starts in the...

 in Southern California

Southern California

Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...

, the adult California Dogface butterflies can often be seen nectaring at roadside thistles: such as the native

Native plant

Native plant is a term to describe plants endemic or naturalized to a given area in geologic time.This includes plants that have developed, occur naturally, or existed for many years in an area...

 Cirsium hydrophilum

Cirsium hydrophilum

Cirsium hydrophilum is a species of thistle which is endemic to California, where it is found only in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. This native thistle grows in wet boggy habitats.-Description:...

and Cirsium occidentale

Cirsium occidentale

Cirsium occidentale, with the common name Cobwebby thistle, is a species of thistle native throughout California deserts, mountains, and valleys, and in western Nevada, southern Oregon, and southwestern Idaho...

, and introduced invasive species

Invasive species

"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....

 Cirsium arvense

Cirsium arvense

Cirsium arvense is a species of Cirsium, native throughout Europe and northern Asia, and widely introduced elsewhere. The standard English name in its native area is Creeping Thistle.-Alternate names:...

.

They are hard to get close to, are hard to catch unless nectaring at flowers, and are hard to get a photograph of with their wings open because they fly very fast.