Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History

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Santa Barbara Field Guides - Butterflies
Lepidoptera
   Pieridae

     Phoebis agarithe
     Large Orange Sulphur


upperside
underside

Size: Wingspread 2-3 in.
Recognition: Male bright yellow-orange; female varied, either yellow-orange (as shown) or white pink.
Flight period: Adults are active all year in warm climates, but strays are most common in middle to late summer.
Hostplants: The larva feeds on Cassia (Fabaceae).
Habitat: Found in various open natural and urban lowland areas.
Distribution: Found from subtropical southern U.S. into tropical South America. It is a vagrant to the desert regions of southern California, only rarely expected in Santa Barbara County.

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