Desert Orangetip
Encyclopedia
The Desert Orangetip, Anthocharis cethura cethura, is a butterfly
of the Pierinae
subfamily. It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where it lives in hills and ridges. Its caterpillar
s mostly eat plants of the mustard family
.
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...
of the Pierinae
Pierinae
The Pierinae are a large subfamily of Pierid butterflies. The subfamily is one of several clades of butterflies often referred to as the Whites...
subfamily. It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where it lives in hills and ridges. Its caterpillar
Caterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
s mostly eat plants of the mustard family
Brassicaceae
Brassicaceae, a medium sized and economically important family of flowering plants , are informally known as the mustards, mustard flowers, the crucifers or the cabbage family....
.