Little Yellow
Pyrisitia lisa
Summary
The aptly named little yellow is just that–a tiny spot of sunshine flitting through the garden. This emigrant from the South quickly recolonizes our area each summer; their small size allows them to metamorphize very quickly, so many generations can be produced in one season. The caterpillars eat the leaves of legumes, particularly partridge pea and wild senna. Adults prefer to nectar at flowers in the sunflower family such as goldenrod and asters, and take moisture and minerals from mud puddles and other damp ground.
More Details
FAMILY
Pieridae (Whites and Sulphurs)
IDENTIFICATION
Average wingspan 1 - 1.45 inches. Upper surface (dorsal) yellow with black forewing tips and black outer border.
HABITAT
Open areas, including fields, roadsides, and parks.
LIFE CYCLE
Cream colored egg; spindle shaped. Laid singly on host plant, usually on new growth. Green caterpillar with thin white line on sides, faint darker lines on back.
HOST PLANTS
Legumes, especially Partridge Pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata)
Ecosystem Connections
Goldenrods and asters are an important late-summer nectar source for a wide variety of insects, including the little yellow–and its enemies. Many predatory insects wait on these plants to feast on the insects visiting the flowers for nectar. A little yellow that sips nectar from a goldenrod in late September may not have much of a future in Pennsylvania, but it plays an important role in sustaining the population of crab spiders, ambush bugs and other beneficial predators.