Page 119 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

BUTTERFLY CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Pieridae
DISTRIBUTION Western North America, from northwest Canada to Mexico
HABITAT Riparian and open habitats, meadows, montane summits, slopes,
canyons, and shrub-steppe
HOST PLANTS Rockcress (Arabis spp.), wintercress (Barbera spp.), and Tumble
Mustard (Sisymbrium altissimum)

NOTE Cryptic caterpillar that becomes a dazzling spring butterfly
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated, but considered secure within its range

ADULT WINGSPAN
1³∕₁₆–1³∕₈ in (30–35 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
¾–1 in (20–25 mm)
ANTHOCHARIS SARA
SARA ORANGETIP 117

LUCAS, 1852

Sara Orangetip females lay their eggs singly, usually one per host
plant; the eggs hatch in about four days. The caterpillars develop
rapidly, taking only 16 to 20 days from egg hatch to pupation.
They feed preferentially on flowers, buds, and seedpods, and

then move on to leaves and stems, systematically consuming Actual size

the host plant as they move downward, finally eating the large
basal leaves. The caterpillars often rest on seedpods or stems
where their slender green bodies blend in well with the narrow,
green plant parts.

The Sara Orangetip caterpillar is light green
The caterpillars go through five instars, and the pupa dorsally and darker green ventrally. There is a
prominent, lateral, white stripe that extends all
oversummers and overwinters, spending 10 to 11 months in along the body and onto the head. The body
this stage. About 10 percent of pupae take two to three years is densely clothed with short setae and tiny,
black spots, and the head is green.

before producing adults. Orangetip butterflies are avid flower

visitors, seeking nectar from spring flowering plants such as

Phlox, mustards, and fiddlenecks. Closely related Anthocharis
species occur elsewhere in North America and Europe, and all
emerge early in spring.