Colias gigantea
Encyclopedia
The Giant Sulphur or Giant Northern Sulfur (Colias gigantea) is a butterfly
in the family Pieridae
found in North America. Its range includes Alaska
across Canada to the east coast and Wyoming
, Montana
, and Oregon
.
Flight period is from June until early August.
Wingspan is from 37 to 55 mm.
Larvae feed on Salix spp.
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...
in the family Pieridae
Pieridae
The Pieridae are a large family of butterflies with about 76 genera containing approximately 1,100 species, mostly from tropical Africa and Asia. Most pierid butterflies are white, yellow or orange in coloration, often with black spots...
found in North America. Its range includes Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
across Canada to the east coast and Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, and Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
.
Flight period is from June until early August.
Wingspan is from 37 to 55 mm.
Larvae feed on Salix spp.
Subspecies
Listed alphabetically.- C. g. gigantea (Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Yukon, Northwest Territories)
- C. g. harroweri Klots, 1940 (Wyoming, Montana, Oregon)
- C. g. mayi F. & R. Chermock, 1940