Eurema nicippe

Eurema nicippe, the sleepy orange, is a North American butterfly in the family Pieridae. Its range spans from Central America to north along the United States-Mexico border, and it often travels further to non-mountainous regions of the southeastern United States.^[3]

Sleepy orange
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Secure  (NatureServe)[2]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Pieridae
Genus:	Eurema
Species:	E. nicippe
Binomial name
Eurema nicippe (Cramer, 1779)
Synonyms
Abaeis nicippe Cramer, 1779

Description

For a key to the terms used, see Glossary of entomology terms.

The sleepy orange is a bright orange butterfly with the upperside of the wings having wide black borders. The forewing costal margin has a small, narrow black marking that resembles a closed eye. Contrary to popular belief, its name originates from this wing patterning, rather than its behavior; the butterfly has a very rapid flight pattern when disturbed.^[4] The underside of the wings varies seasonally: summer forms are bright yellow with brick-red markings, while winter forms are browner and more heavily marked. It has a wingspan of 13⁄8–21⁄4 inches (35–50 mm).^[5]

• 
  underside (summer form)
• 
  puddling on damp ground

Habitat

The sleepy orange generally prefers low elevation areas,^[3] agricultural land, and disturbed sites,^[5] and may be found in or around old fields, roadsides, woods edges, swamps, wet meadows, open woodlands, margins of ponds, waterways, and valleys.^[4]

Life cycle

Its eggs are spindle-shaped and white in color when first laid, but quickly turn yellow.^[4] They are laid on the underside of the leaves of its host plant, often members of the legume family.^[6] The larva is pale green with a narrow white stripe along its length on either side and very short hairs.^[4] The chrysalis varies from pale green^[7] to brown-black later in its life cycle.^[5] They have two to four broods per year. They can be found year-round further south, but migrate north during the warmer summer months.^[8]

Host plants

• Partridge pea, Chamaecrista fasciculata
• Wild sensitive plant, Chamaecrista nictitans
• Senna hebecarpa
• Privet senna, Senna ligustrina
• Senna marilandica
• Senna mexicana
• Senna obtusifolia

Similar species

• Colias eurytheme - orange sulphur
• Eurema proterpia - tailed orange