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little yellow
little yellow (Pyrisitia lisa)
Illinois Status: common, native
Photo © Michael Jeffords/Susan Post
Features and Behaviors
FEATURES
Little yellow is a most appropriate name for this common yellow butterfly. The tops of the wings are yellow with black borders. The undersides of the wings are yellow with variable, dusty dark spots, and yellow and white stripes lining wings. They have yellow eyes. Antennae are striped with slightly clubbed ends. The wings of males reflect UV light and have more defined black markings on hind wings than females. Caterpillar are bright green with two white lines alongside back.
BEHAVIORS
Little yellows can be seen flying in a slow, short and bouncy manner in open grassy fields and disturbed areas. It tolerates even the dryest of habitats. The partridge pea, senna, and wild sensitive plants are their host species. Male little yellows looking for a mate, patrol throughout the day and upon finding one, fly above the female and force them to land. Each year there is one brood in the northern third of the state, and two broods in the southern two-thirds.
Illinois Range
Taxonomy
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Pieridae
Habitats
open grassy fields and disturbed areas
