Art Shapiro's Butterfly Site - Anthocharis

Anthocharis lanceolata

admin — Sun, 28 May 2006 18:09:49 +0000

Fairly common on the Sierran West slope in rocky canyons and moist forest. Local in the North Coast Range and on the East slope of the Sierra, usually in rocky canyon sites. Resembles (and easily confused with) the Gray-Veined White in flight; probably underreported. The female is larger than the male, with broader wings and a more complete dark patrtern at the apex; otherwise similar.
The genus Anthocharis is Holarctic ; there are related species in the eastern United States, Mexico, Europe and East Asia.

One brood, late April-July; mostly 2000-6000' but occasionally higher and lower. Host plants native Brassicaceae, generally tall species, especially Tower Mustard (Arabis glabra) and tall species of Jewel Flower (Streptanthus). The larva eats both leaves and buds/flowers/fruit. Adults visit a variety of flowers, including Brassicaceae, especially Western Wallflower (Erysimum capitatum), which is NOT a host; Blue Dicks; Yerba Santa, mints, etc.

The name "Gray Marble" is somewhat unfortunate, as the underside mottling is in fact a rich burgundy red, at least when fresh.

Anthocharis sara sara

admin — Sun, 28 May 2006 18:09:48 +0000

(See also A.s.thoosa and A. stella.)

The Sara Orange-Tip is common in foothill and lower montane habitats (Coast Range/Bay Area and Sierran West slope) but is hardly ever encountered in the Central Valley. It "flies a beat" along roadsides and streamsides in foothill woodland and montane coniferous forest, and along the bases of cliffs in canyons.It often flies in and out of dappled light and shade but is less shade-tolerant than the Gray-Veined White. In the Sierra Nevada it is rarely seen above 5000' (except at Donner Pass, where it is seen nearly every year at the West end), replaced upslope by the Stella Orange-Tip with a "no-man's land" around 5000' where both may be seen but neither seems to breed. In the Klamath-Trinity-Siskiyou Mountains in N.W. California, where there is no Stella, Sara goes up to 9000'--suggesting that one entity somehow excludes the other in the Sierra Nevada.

One to two broods - always one upslope, but with at least the option of a second below about 1000'. When it occurs, the second brood consists of larger individuals with less black above and a somewhat-reduced pattern of green marbling below. The first brood flies February-May, depending on locality (June at the highest elevations); the second May-June. Females are occasionally bright yellow - as yellow as Stella!

This seems to be a group undergoing active evolutionary radiation right now, all over the West.

Host plants Brassicaceae: Milkmaids (crinkleroot, Toothwort), Dentaria (Cardamine); Yellow Rocket (Barbarea); Hedge Mustard (Sisymbrium officinale var. leiocarpum); infrequently on weedy Mustard (Brassica spp.) and Radish (Raphanus) but only along wood roads. Eggs blue-green when laid but turning bright red. Larvae feed primarily on buds, flowers, and fruit.

Adults are eager visitors to Brassicaceous flowers, also California Buckeye, Yerba Santa, Blue Dicks, Fiddleneck, etc.

Anthocharis sara thoosa

admin — Sun, 28 May 2006 18:09:47 +0000

This is the East slope representative of the Sara Orange-Tip. In our area it is uncommon, found on lava flows and sagebrush-bitterbrush shrub-steppe north of Lake Tahoe. It is a little smaller than A. sara sara and has the black pattern a little heavier. Females may be slightly yellowish.

There is one brood in early spring (March-May at 5000'). The host plants are Rock Cresses (genus Arabis) and Tansy Mustard (Descurainia). Adults visit flowers of the hosts, as well as Fiddleneck, Wild Onion, and other early-spring flowers of the upland East slope.

Anthocharis stella

admin — Sun, 28 May 2006 18:09:46 +0000

Similar to the Sara Orange-Tip but the ground color is very pale yellow in the male and a warmer yellow in the female. There are many detail differences in the wing pattern, as well as a consistent difference in the venation of the forewing. Stella was formerly considered a subspecies of sara and is still so listed in some books. However, it co-occurs with both A. sara sara (Sierran West Slope) and A. sara thoosa (East Slope) in some places without interbreeding, as shown by molecular genetic studies, so we conclude that it has attained biological species status. It is endemic to the Sierra Nevada from Plumas County south, generally above 5000'. It occurs in open forest, along streamsides and roads or trails through forest, and in rocky canyons. Males "fly a beat."

There is one brood early in the season (March to July); this is one of the first non-hibernators to appear at, say, Donner Summit. The eggs are laid singly on Rock Cress (genus Arabis; in our area especially on A. holboellii) and the larvae feed on the buds, flowers and fruits. The adults very commonly visit the flowers of the host, but are not restricted to them. In our area Arabis is often attacked by a parasitic fungus that transforms the growth pattern of a shoot (sometimes an entire plant) and turns the upper foliage yellow, creating a "mock flower" that attracts insects which serve to disperse the spores. The Stella Orange-Tip, however, avoids such plants and has never been seen to oviposit or feed on them.