Dainty Sulphur
Nathalis iole
OrderLepidoptera
FamilyPieridae
HabitatOpen, dry, weedy ground throughout the South
SeasonFlies year-round in South Texas, summer northward
LocationLake Creek Trail, Austin, Texas, Williamson County, Texas
Size0.75-1.25 inch wingspan
DietCaterpillars eat sneezeweed and marigold relatives; adults take nectar
ConservationNot evaluated; common
CameraNikon Z9Lens400mmAperturef/8Shutter1/800ISO800
Dainty Sulphur caught barely bigger than a thumbnail at Lake Creek Trail.
About the Dainty Sulphur
The Dainty Sulphur is the smallest sulphur butterfly in North America, a flake of yellow barely bigger than a thumbnail that flies low and fast over open ground. Up close it shows a dusting of black at the wingtips and an orange flush on the hindwing below.
It cannot survive hard winters, so each year Dainty Sulphurs recolonize the continent northward from Texas and Mexico, sometimes reaching Canada by fall, an epic migration for something so small.
This one was photographed along Lake Creek Trail in Austin on a June morning, pausing just long enough for one frame.
Want to see a Dainty Sulphur in the wild?
Join one of my guided birding tours! Fine art prints of my photos are also available.
Join one of my guided birding tours! Fine art prints of my photos are also available.
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