bugdude
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COMMON Butterflies of Baja - Part 2.
This is Part 2 with other butterfly families to follow on subsequent days.
Link to Part 1. Swallowtails with Introduction:
http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=15584
Additional information and other species may be found at:
The Butterflies and Skippers of North America (Online Field Guide)
by Paul A. Opler, Ray E. Stanford, Harry Pavulaan, the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center (USGS), and the staff of Nearctica.com.
http://www.nearctica.com/butter/index.htm
Distribution Map Key: dark blue = confirmed records; light blue = possible occurrence, unconfirmed
"To make a wish come true, whisper it to a butterfly.
Upon these wings it will be taken to heaven and granted.
For they are the messengers of the Great Spirit."
--- Native American Legend
Part 2. Family: Pieridae - Whites
[Edited on 01/01/06 by bugdude]
A man\'s reach should exceed his grasp - or what\'s a heaven for?
Robert Browning
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bugdude
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Desert Orangetip (Anthocharis cethura Felder and Felder)
Wing span: 1 - 1 1/2 inches (2.6 - 4 cm).
Identification: Male white, female yellow; forewing with orange patch between discal bar and black and white stripes at apex of wing; costal edge of
forewing striate with black; hindwing below with heavy green marbling.
Biology: Caterpillar with alternating bands of orange-yellow and green and with a row of segmental white patches along each side.
Flight: Early February to April, rarely as late as June.
Caterpillar hosts: A number of mustard species (Brassicaceae) including tansy mustard, jewelflower, and tumble mustard.
Habitat: Desert hills and ridges.
Range: Central California south to southern Baja California, eastward across Nevada, southwestern Utah, Arizona, as far as western Texas.
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bugdude
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Gray Marble (Anthocharis lanceolata [Lucas])
Wing span: 1 1/2 - 2 inches (3.8 - 5 cm).
Identification: Forewing slightly pointed, outer margin concave. Top and bottom of forewing white with black cell spot and black margin at tip.
Underside of hindwing with dark veins, dense gray marbling, and a white blotch underneath the costal margin.
Life history: Males patrol in valleys or draws for females. Females lay eggs singly on host plant flowers and leaves; caterpillars prefer to feed on
flowers and fruits. Chrysalids hibernate.
Flight: One flight from March-June.
Caterpillar hosts: Rock cress (Arabis species) and other mustard family (Brassicaceae) plants.
Adult food: Flower nectar including rock cress.
Habitat: Rocky canyons, draws, forest openings.
Range: Southwest Oregon south to northern Baja California, western edge of Nevada.
Remarks: Very rare or local throughout its range or found locally in a restricted range (21 to 100 occurrences). Threatened throughout its range.
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bugdude
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Sara Orangetip (Anthocharis sara Lucas)
Wing span: 1 3/8 - 1 7/8 inches (3.5 - 4.8 cm).
Identification: Upperside of male forewing with large, orange-red spot; border of apex dark, narrow. Female spot smaller; dark border with white
wedges. Underside of hindwing with scattered, olive-green marbling. Some individuals are yellow.
Life history: Males patrol, mostly in valleys, for females. Eggs are laid singly near tops of host plants. Young caterpillars feed on flower buds,
older ones on flowers and fruits. Chrysalids hibernate.
Flight: One flight from March-June in Alaska south to Arizona desert; primary flight on California coast from February-April with a second partial
flight from May-June.
Caterpillar hosts: Plants in the mustard (Brassicaceae) family including tansy-mustard (Descurainia), hedge mustard (Sisymbrium) and rock cresses
(Arabis) species.
Adult food: Flower nectar, including that of host mustards, violets, thistles, fiddleneck, and brodiaeas.
Habitat: Deserts, open woods, orchards, fields, meadows, stream courses, canyons.
Range: Alaska coast south to Baja California.
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bugdude
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Southwestern Orangetip (Anthocharis thoosa [Scudder])
Wing span: 1 - 1 ? inches (2.5-3.7 cm).
Identification: Male white, female either white or yellowish, especially on hindwing. Most similar to Sara Orangetip, but black bar on inner edge of
orange tip very wide, and marbling nearly black. California coast from February-April.
Life history: Plants in the mustard (Brassicaceae) family including tansy-mustard (Descurainia), hedge mustard (Sisymbrium) and rock cresses (Arabis)
species.
Adult food: Flower nectar, including that of host mustards.
Habitat: Mainly juniper or pinyon-juniper woodland. Also desert hills.
Range: Arid intermountain West from northern Nevada, Utah, and western Colorado south to western Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and southeastern
California.
Remarks: This species is listed because the documented distributed (see map) borders Baja California, thus it is highly possible to occur here.
[Edited on 01/01/06 by bugdude]
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bugdude
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Great Southern White (Ascia monuste [Linnaeus])
Wing span: 2 1/2 - 3 3/8 inches (6.3 - 8.6 cm).
Identification: Upper surface of male forewing white with black zigzag pattern on outer margin. Dry season female form resembles male with heavier
black zigzag pattern and a small black spot in the wing cell. Wet-season female is darkened with black scales above and below.
Life history: Males patrol for females. Eggs are laid on the upper surface of host plant leaves in groups of about 20.
Flight: All year in South Texas, peninsular Florida, and along the Gulf Coast.
Caterpillar hosts: Mustard family (Brassicaceae) plants including beach cabbage (Cakile maritima), cultivated cabbage and radish, peppergrass
(Lepidium species); and plants in the caper family (Capparidaceae) including nasturtium.
Adult food: Nectar from many species of flowers including saltwort, lantana, and verbena.
Habitat: Salt marshes, coastal dunes, open fields, and gardens.
Range: Resident of south Atlantic and Gulf coasts south through tropical America. Migratory along the Southeastern coast.
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bugdude
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Pearly Marble (Euchloe hyantis [W. H. Edwards])
Wing span: 1 1/4 - 1 3/4 inches (3.2 - 4.5 cm).
Identification: Upperside of forewing with cell bar very close to edge of wing. Cell bar usually devoid of white scales. Underside pearly white;
hindwing with green marbling.
Life history: Males patrol near host plants or on hilltops for receptive females. Eggs are laid singly on host plant leaves; flowers and fruits are
the preferred food of the caterpillars. Chrysalids hibernate.
Flight: One flight from March-June.
Caterpillar hosts: Plants in the mustard (Brassicaceae) family including rock cress (Arabis), peppergrass (Lepidium), tansymustard (Descurainia), and
jewel flower (Streptanthus) species.
Adult food: Flower nectar including that of hosts and others such as phloxes.
Habitat: Deserts, rocky canyons, hills, ridges, open woodlands.
Range: Baja California north to British Columbia, east to Colorado and New Mexico.
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bugdude
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Cabbage White (Pieris rapae [Linnaeus])
Wing span: 1 3/4 - 2 1/4 inches (4.5 - 5.8 cm).
Identification: Upperside of wings white; forewing with black tip. Two submarginal black spots in female, one in male. Underside of hindwing and
forewing apex evenly yellow-green or gray-green. Spring and fall short-day form is smaller, less yellow, with reduced black areas.
Life history: Males patrol for females. Females lay single eggs on undersides of host leaves. Chrysalids hibernate.
Flight: Two to three in northern part of range; 7-8 in the south - seen in any month. It is usually the first butterfly to emerge in spring.
Caterpillar hosts: Many plants in the mustard (Brassicaceae) family and occasionally some in the caper family (Capparidaceae).
Adult food: Flower nectar from a very wide array of plants including mustards, dandelion, red clover, asters, and mints.
Habitat: Almost any type of open space including weedy areas, gardens, roadsides, cities, and suburbs.
Range: From central Canada south through the United States (except Florida Keys, southern Louisiana, and South Texas) to northwest Mexico.
Remarks: This species is extremely common and will be encountered in a myriad of habitats. Although not recorded from Baja according to the attached
map, it almost certainly will occur here.
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bugdude
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Becker's White (Pontia beckerii [W. H. Edwards])
Wing span: 1 5/8 - 2 inches (4 - 5 cm).
Identification: Upperside of both male and female is white, with black spots near tip of forewing. Inside the forewing cell is a square black bar with
a curved white center. The underside of the hindwing of both sexes has wide green edging along the veins, confined by a white median band.
Life history: Males patrol ravines in search of females. Females lay eggs singly on host stems, buds, leaves, flowers, and fruits.
Flight: Several flights from March-October.
Caterpillar hosts: Plants of mustard (Brassicaceae) family including mustards (Brassica), and hedge mustard (Sisymbrium) species; and bladder-pod
(Isomeris arborea) in the caper family (Capparidaceae).
Adult food: Flower nectar including hedge mustard and alfalfa.
Habitat: Arid brushlands, desert foothills and canyons, fields.
Range: British Columbia and Alberta south to Baja California; east of the Cascades and Sierra Nevada, east and south to western Montana and New
Mexico.
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bugdude
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Checkered White (Pontia protodice [Boisduval & LeConte])
Wing span: 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 inches (3.8 - 6.3 cm).
Identification: Upperside of male forewing has black checkered pattern on outer half. Female is more heavily patterned, but markings are more brown
and diffuse. Hindwing of both male and female white. Underside of male hindwing with pale checkered pattern. Underside of female with yellow-tan
markings on hindwing and tip of forewing. Short-day form has underside hindwing veins with heavy gray-green outlines.
Life history: Males patrol flats seeking receptive females, who lay eggs singly on leaves and flowers of host plants. Buds, flowers, and fruits are
favorite foods of caterpillars, but they will also eat leaves. A short-day form appears in spring and fall. Chrysalids hibernate.
Flight: Three flights, with a partial 4th in the South, from March-November.
Caterpillar hosts: Plants in the mustard family (Brassicaceae) including cabbage (Brassica oleraceae); and caper family (Capparidaceae) including
Rocky Mountain bee-plant (Cleome serrulata).
Adult food: Flower nectar including hedge mustards, composites, and alfalfa.
Habitat: Wide variety of sites including dry weedy areas, vacant lots, fields, pastures, sandy areas, railroad beds, and roads.
Range: Permanent resident in southern United States and northern Mexico; temporary in northern United States and southern Canada. Does not occur in
most of New England.
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bugdude
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Spring White (Pontia sisymbrii [Boisduval])
Wing span: 1 1/4 - 1 3/4 inches (3 - 4.5 cm).
Identification: Upperside of both wings with dark veins on white to creamy yellow background; front wing cell bar is narrow. Veins of underside of
hindwing may be edged widely with olive.
Life history: Males patrol hilltops, ridges, or bottoms of canyons in search of females. Eggs are laid singly on any part of the host plants. Young
caterpillars feed on leaves, older ones on flowers. Chrysalids hibernate.
Flight: One flight from February-July.
Caterpillar hosts: Plants in the mustard family (Brassicaceae) including hedge mustard (Sisymbrium), rock cresses (Arabis), and tansy-mustard
(Descurainia) species.
Adult food: Not reported.
Habitat: Desert hills and other dry slopes, rocky canyons and outcrops, roadsides, open coniferous forests.
Range: British Columbia south to Baja California.
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gringorio
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Very impressive Bugdude! Thanks for all the informative descriptions and photos!
gringorio
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bajajudy
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WOW
That is wonderful information
Muchisimas gracias.
[Edited on 2-16-2006 by bajajudy]
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bajalera
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Great stuff, Bugdude. Thanks!
\"Very few things happen at the right time, and the rest never happen at all. The conscientious historian will correct these defects.\" -
Mark Twain
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bugdude
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Thanks for the positive comments.
A man\'s reach should exceed his grasp - or what\'s a heaven for?
Robert Browning
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flyfishinPam
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How can you tell the difference between...
... a butterfly and a moth. there are some really interesting moths here not pictured in your butterfly posts, because they're moths. But how do you
tell the difference?
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bugdude
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| Quote: | Originally posted by flyfishinPam
How can you tell the difference between a butterfly and a moth? |
There isn't a single defining characteristic that defines a moth from a butterfly, but rather a number of characteristics:
A butterfly flies by day, and a moth by night, but there are some day flying moths and butterflies that are know to fly at dusk.
A butterfly always has a feeding mechanism (proboscis), whereas a moth often does not. These moths simply do not eat as adults and survive on
metabolic reserves acquired as larvae.
A butterfly rests with its wings closed and a moth lands with them open. A notable exception are the butterflies of the family Nymphaliinae (genus
Hamadryas - I think) that always land with their wings open and laid flat.
A butterfly forms a pupae hanging. A moth forms a cocoon, usually on the ground.
The antennae of a butterfly are straight and club-like. The antennae of a moth vary greatly but are usually brush like - more surface area to detect
the female pheromones (scent).
Remember we are dealing with nature here and there are often exceptions to the rule. Insects have the uncanny nature to evolve morphological and/or
behavioral adaptations allowing them to exist in a specific ecological niche.
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flyfishinPam
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Thank you
Understand about the morphological characteristics being specific to ecological niches. I was a Bio major but plant physiology (and chemisrty).
Interesting that the moths rely solely on their metabolic reserves as adults. The closed vs. open wings on landing is telling as well.
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