Colias harfordii
Encyclopedia
Colias harfordii, Harford's Sulphur, is a butterfly
in the Pieridae
family. It is found from the southern California
coastal ranges and canyons from Kern County south to San Diego County. The habitat consists of open chaparral and woodland clearings.
The wingspan
is 44 millimetre. The upper surface of the male is rich yellow, with the wing bases not darkened. The cell spot in the front wing is medium-sized and black, often with a white center. The forewing border is wide and the hindwing border is narrower. The cell spot in the hindwing is not noticeable. Females resembles males but the border is less well-defined, in some cases even reduced or lacking. Adults are on wing from February to May and again from June to August in two generations per year. Adults feed on flower nectar of thistles and mints.
The larvae feed on the leaves of Astragalus douglasii
. The species overwinters in the larval stage.
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
in the Pieridae
Pieridae
The Pieridae are a large family of butterflies with about 76 genera containing approximately 1,100 species, mostly from tropical Africa and Asia. Most pierid butterflies are white, yellow or orange in coloration, often with black spots...
family. It is found from the southern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
coastal ranges and canyons from Kern County south to San Diego County. The habitat consists of open chaparral and woodland clearings.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 44 millimetre. The upper surface of the male is rich yellow, with the wing bases not darkened. The cell spot in the front wing is medium-sized and black, often with a white center. The forewing border is wide and the hindwing border is narrower. The cell spot in the hindwing is not noticeable. Females resembles males but the border is less well-defined, in some cases even reduced or lacking. Adults are on wing from February to May and again from June to August in two generations per year. Adults feed on flower nectar of thistles and mints.
The larvae feed on the leaves of Astragalus douglasii
Astragalus douglasii
Astragalus douglasii is a species of milkvetch known by the common name Douglas' milkvetch. It is native to California and Baja California, where it can be found in many types of desert, valley, chaparral and woodlands, and montane habitats....
. The species overwinters in the larval stage.