Family Pieridae – White, Sulphur, and Yellow Butterflies


Family Pieridae – Whites, Sulphurs, and Yellows With a 1,100 species world wide and 58 in North America, pierid larvae are serious agricultural pests.
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Family Pieridae – With a 1,100 species world wide and 58 in North America, pierid larvae are agricultural pests of legumes (alfalfa, clover, peas, beans, lentils, lupins, mesquite, carob, soy, and peanuts) and cruciferous crops (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kohlrabi, collard, mustard, turnip).

Most of these butterflies are shades of yellow, white, or pale green. There is often dramatic color variation between the sexes, seasonal, and even members of the same species. For all intents and purposes, the clouded and orange sulphurs, for instance, are generally spoken of as on species in the field, they being virtually impossible to tell apart, short of dissection.

Cabbage White
Cabbage White
Clouded Sulphur Butterfly
Clouded Sulphur
Orange Sulphur Butterfly
Orange Sulphur
Dwarf Yellow or Dainty Sulphur Butterfly
Dwarf Yellow, Dainty Sulphur
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Order Lepidoptera, which contains both butterflies and moths, includes at least 125,000 known species including 12,000 in North America. Butterflies are revered for their brightly colored wings and pleasing association with fair weather and flowers.
Learn to identify many of the American Midwest's common species through descriptions and large diagnostic photos of live, wild specimens.
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