Eurema nicippe

Taxobox
name = Sleepy Orange


status =
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Arthropoda
classis = Insecta
ordo = Lepidoptera
familia = Pieridae
subfamilia = Coliadinae
tribus =
genus = "Eurema"
species = "E. nicippe"
binomial = "Eurema nicippe"
binomial_authority = (Cramer, 1779)
synonyms = The Sleepy Orange, ("Eurema nicippe"), is a North American butterfly in the family Pieridae.

Description

"For a key to the terms used see Lepidopteran glossary"

The Sleepy Orange is a bright orange butterfly with the upper side of the wings having wide black borders. The forewing coastal margin has a small, narrow black spot. Some people think that the Sleepy Orange got its name from the black spot that looks like a closed eye. Others say that the Sleepy Orange is a misnomer because, when disturbed, it has a very rapid flight. The underside of the wings varies depending on the season. Summer forms are bright yellow with brick red markings, while the winter forms are browner and more heavily marked. It has a wingspan of 1 3/8 - 2 1/4 inches.

Habitat

The Sleepy Orange may be found in or around these areas: old fields, roadsides, woods edges, swamps, wet meadows, open woodlands, margins of ponds, waterways and valleys.

Life Cycle

The eggs are pale greenish-yellow and turn red just before hatching. They are laid on the underside of the host plant leaves or sometimes laid on flowers. The fuzzy larva is grayish-green with a whitish-yellow side stripe. The chrysalis varies from green to brownish black. Adult Sleepy Oranges migrate south to spend the winter. It has 2-4 broods per year.

Host Plants

Here are a list of host plants for the Sleepy Orange:

* Partridge Pea, "Chamaecrista fascicalata"

* Wild Sensitive Plant, "Chamaecrista nictitens"

* "Senna bebecarpa"

* Privet Senna, "Senna ligustrina"

* "Senna marilandica"

* "Senna mexicana"

* "Senna obtusifolia"

References

*Jim P. Brock, Kenn Kaufman (2003). "Butterflies of North America." Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-618-15312-8.
*James A. Scott (1986). "The Butterflies of North America." Stanford University Press, Stanford, California. ISBN 0-8047-2013-4
*Ernest M. Shull (1987). "The Butterflies of Indiana." Indiana Academy of Science. ISBN 0-253-31292-2
*Rick Cech and Guy Tudor (2005). "Butterflies of the East Coast." Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersy. ISBN 0-691-09055-6
*David L. Wagner (2005). "Caterpillars of Eastern North America." Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersy. ISBN 0-691-12143-5