Tag: Pieridae

2026 Caterpillar Season – Cloudless Sulphur

2026 Caterpillar Season, insects, Lepidoptera, macro, wildlife, wildlife photography

Cloudless Sulphur
Phoebis sennae (Linnaeus, 1758), fam. Pieridae, P-no. 77a0435
Host plants: Hosts on members of the legume family (Fabaceae), principally senna and partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata).
Date found(s): 4 August, 2026
Location(s) found: Ste. Genevieve County, MO
Notes: By looking closely at the caterpillar pictured here, you may notice that its dorsum is covered in short setae that each contain a near-microscopic drop of fluid. In a study conducted on related Pieriis caterpillars, this fluid was found to be a sticky oil substance that had a deterrent effect on predation by generalist predators like ants.

Falcate Orangetip (Anthocharis midea)

insects, Lepidoptera, macro, wildlife, wildlife photography

These are not the photos I envisioned getting when going after the falcate orangetip (Anthocharis midea). Casey and I must have spent more than a couple of hours running around Hugh’s Mountain Natural Area, waiting for one of these gorgeous males to land at a flower to nectar. Unfortunately, this rarely happened, and when they did finally set they were up again within seconds.

A female falcate orangetip perched with abdomen raised, presumably to better release pheromones that announce her readiness to mate.

These guys were definitely not interested in feeding while we were there, instead they incessantly roamed the glades and woodland edges hunting for females. This is where I finally got a little bit of luck by finding a stationary female. She had drawn the attention of several males who were fighting for a chance to breed.

Members of the Pieridae family, the falcate orangetip’s host are members of the mustard family (Brassicaceae). The caterpillars feed mostly at night on the flower tissues of these plants.