Little yelow butterfly, photographed at Allapattah Flats Wildlife Management Area, Palm City, Stuart, in March 2024.
Few names in the natural world are more descripitively straightforward than the little yellow butterfly, Eurema lisa. It is little, and it is yellow.
And it’s a common butterfly found over most of the eastern and central United States. Little yellows are found as far north as the Dakotas and New England, south and west as New Mexico and as east as Florida. Its historic range includes Arizona and California. Beyond our borders, little yellows are found in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.
It’s been found in all 67 Florida counties.
The wingspan of the little yellow ranges between 1.25 inches and 1.75 inches. They can be bright to pale yellow to almost white.
Besides its size and color, the most prominent feature of the little yellow might be a relatively large red-orange spot on the wings. The wings are also peppered with small, irregular gray spots.
The hind wings have a black border on the edges, which in some females might be a series of black spots instead. Because the little yellow perches with its wings folded, this feature is only apparent when the little in flight.
Little yellows are active year-round in Florida and produce multiple generations, but their looks can vary depending on the time of the year. During winter and spring, the dry season in other words, little yellows tend to be are darker and heavier marked than their brethern found in summer, or the rainy season.
Up north, little yellows are limited by weather; cold weather will kill off the population, but the butterflies will migrate back come spring’s warmth.
Little yellows like weedy habitats, like roadsides, fields, disturbed areas and the edges of forests. They’ll also gather at puddles for a sip of water.
Little yellows feed on the nectar of goldenrods and other members of Asteraceae, the sunflower family. On the other hand, they use members of Fabaceae, the pea family, as hosts for their offspring. Favorites include partridge pea and sensitive pea.
Males spend their time patrolling for females. When a guy little yellow finds a prospective date, he’ll touch her with his wings and legs. Meanwhile, she’ll spread her antennae, “sniffing” the air for his pheromones. If she finds him acceptable, they’ll mate. If not interested, she’ll either flutter her wings or fly straight up.
Females lay their eggs singly on the host plants.
Other common names for the little yellow include little sulphur and lisa yellow. Other scientific or binomial names include Pyrisitia Lisa and Pyrisitiapyrisitia lisa. It is a member of Pieridae, the family of white and sulphur butterflies.
Allapattah Flats Wildlife Management Area