Eurema nicippe

Eurema nicippe, the sleepy orange, is a North American butterfly in the family Pieridae. Its range spans from Central America to north along the United States-Mexico border, and it often travels further to non-mountainous regions of the southeastern United States.

Description


The sleepy orange is a bright orange butterfly with the upperside of the wings having wide black borders. The forewing costal margin has a small, narrow black marking that resembles a closed eye. Contrary to popular belief, its name originates from this wing patterning, rather than its behavior; the butterfly has a very rapid flight pattern when disturbed. The underside of the wings varies seasonally: summer forms are bright yellow with brick-red markings, while winter forms are browner and more heavily marked. It has a wingspan of 1$3/8$–2$1/4$ inches (35–50 mm).

Habitat
The sleepy orange generally prefers low elevation areas, agricultural land, and disturbed sites, and may be found in or around old fields, roadsides, woods edges, swamps, wet meadows, open woodlands, margins of ponds, waterways, and valleys.

Life cycle
Its eggs are spindle-shaped and white in color when first laid, but quickly turn yellow. They are laid on the underside of the leaves of its host plant, often members of the legume family. The larva is pale green with a narrow white stripe along its length on either side and very short hairs. The chrysalis varies from pale green to brown-black later in its life cycle. They have two to four broods per year. They can be found year-round further south, but migrate north during the warmer summer months.

Host plants

 * Partridge pea, Chamaecrista fasciculata
 * Wild sensitive plant, Chamaecrista nictitans
 * Senna hebecarpa
 * Privet senna, Senna ligustrina
 * Senna marilandica
 * Senna mexicana
 * Senna obtusifolia

Similar species

 * Colias eurytheme - orange sulphur
 * Eurema proterpia - tailed orange