100 Day Challenge - Day One

Aphrissa statira - Pale Sulphur

The Pale Sulphur, or Aphrissa statira, is a small, light greenish butterfly with a wingspan of about 60-79 mm, or somewhere around 2 and a half inches. They tend to flutter around in the southern regions of the United States, like Florida and Texas, but aren’t just limited to those areas. They are also found in regions such as southern Brazil and northern Argentina. This butterfly is a part of the Pieridae family, which is solely for the whites and sulphurs of butterflies. The subfamily, Coliadinae, is just another way to distinguish species. These are migratory breeds of butterflies, meaning, like Monarchs, they will take flight to a different area of the country or world. This butterfly is not endangered and is typically considered widespread. On top of that, female Pale Suplhurs are dimorphic, meaning that they color change! It’s not dramatic, but they do change from a yellow-ish green in the cool and dry months to a white or creamy color in the warm and wet months. Back in 1777, a Dutch entomologist named Pieter Cramer discovered this species and gave it the scientific name “Phoebis statira”, but in 1873, a different entomologist named Arthur Gardiner Butler respecified the Pale Sulphur and placed it into the genus “Aphrissa.”