Colias scudderii
Encyclopedia
Colias scudderii, the Willow Sulphur, is a butterfly
in the Pieridae
family. It is found from Alaska
south through the Rocky Mountains
to northern New Mexico
. The habitat consists of mountain meadows and willow bogs.
The wingspan
is 38 millimetre. The upper surface of the males is lemon yellow with a dark wide border cut by yellow veins. Females are often white, with a small black cell spot. The border is incomplete or lacking. The underside of both sexes is dirty green. Adults are on wing from June to August. They feed on flower nectar.
The larvae feed on the leaves of Salix species (including Salix reticulata
, Salix lutea
and Salix planifolia
). Second, third, and fourth instar larvae hibernate.
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 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...
family. It is found from 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...
south through the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
to northern New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. The habitat consists of mountain meadows and willow bogs.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 38 millimetre. The upper surface of the males is lemon yellow with a dark wide border cut by yellow veins. Females are often white, with a small black cell spot. The border is incomplete or lacking. The underside of both sexes is dirty green. Adults are on wing from June to August. They feed on flower nectar.
The larvae feed on the leaves of Salix species (including Salix reticulata
Salix reticulata
Salix reticulata, the Net-leaved Willow, is a dwarf willow, occurring in the colder parts of Northern Europe, Greenland, North America and Northern Asia...
, Salix lutea
Salix lutea
Salix lutea is a species of willow known by the common name yellow willow. It is native to North America, including central Canada and parts of the western and central United States, with the exception of the Great Basin. It can be found in moist and wet habitat types, such as riverbanks, meadows,...
and Salix planifolia
Salix planifolia
Salix planifolia is a species of willow known by the common names diamondleaf willow and tea-leafed willow. It is native to northern and western North America, including most all of Canada, Alaska, and the western United States...
). Second, third, and fourth instar larvae hibernate.
Subspecies
- Colias scudderii scudderii (Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Wyoming)
- Colias scudderii ruckesi Klots, 1937 (New Mexico)