Sleepy Orange - Alabama Butterfly Atlas

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Anyone who has watched a Sleepy Orange zip through a field or dart across a road knows there is nothing “sleepy” about its behavior. It is enlightening to learn that the name’s origin derives from wing pattern rather than flight speed. The small black crescents that mark the forewing resemble closed or “sleepy” eyes. “Rambling” Orange” has been proposed a more logical name since, like all sulphurs, Sleepy Oranges seldom hold their wings where the “sleepy” field marks are visible.

Like other sulphurs, Sleepy Oranges are seasonably variable in appearance and lifestyle. Summer forms have golden yellow outer wings. They are short lived but produce several generations. Winter forms are tan/reddish brown and more heavily patterned. These butterflies spend the winter months in reproductive diapause.

Sleepy Oranges fly rapidly and close to the ground. They drink nectar from a wide variety of flowers, including those in gardens. Males avidly sip minerals from damp earth and are common constituents of late-summer puddle clubs.

In Alabama, Sleepy Oranges are widespread and common. Although they are not completely cold tolerant, they appear to be hardier than many of their yellow cousins and are sometimes encountered in early spring. Early in the year, single butterflies are often seen flying in woodlands, perhaps because their more typical, open-field habitats are later to sprout new growth. By midsummer, they fly by the dozens around cultivated fields and roadsides.

Distribution and Abundance

A dot on the county map indicates that there is at least one documented record of the species within that county. In some cases, a species may be common throughout the county, in others it may be found in only a specific habitat. The High Count information shows the highest numbers recorded for this species as well as when and where they occurred.

The sightings bar graphs depict the timing of flight(s) within each of three geographic regions. Place your cursor on a bar within the graph to see the number of individuals recorded during that period.

The abundance calendar displays the total number of individuals recorded within each week of the month. Both the graphs and the calendar are on based data collection that began in 2000.

The records analyzed here are only a beginning. As more data is collected, these maps and graphs will paint a more accurate picture of distribution and abundance in Alabama. Submit your sightings to albutterflyatlas@gmail.com.

Sightings in the following counties: Autauga, Baldwin, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Butler, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Chilton, Choctaw, Clarke, Clay, Cleburne, Coffee, Colbert, Conecuh, Coosa, Covington, Crenshaw, Cullman, Dale, Dallas, DeKalb, Elmore, Escambia, Etowah, Fayette, Franklin, Geneva, Greene, Hale, Henry, Houston, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lee, Limestone, Lowndes, Macon, Madison, Marengo, Marion, Marshall, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Randolph, Russell, Shelby, St. Clair, Sumter, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker, Washington, Wilcox, Winston

Sightings in the past 5 years
Sightings in the past 5 - 10 years
Sightings more than 10 years ago

High count(s):

1500 - Cherokee - 9/1/2025
453 - Baldwin - 9/14/2023
151 - Baldwin - 8/15/2024

View county names by moving the mouse over a county or view a map with county names

Jan				Feb				Mar				Apr				May				Jun				Jul				Aug				Sep				Oct				Nov				Dec
1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4
8	2	2	11	8	3	11	56	78	67	68	96	21	15	17	43	33	25	69	132	54	85	91	189	194	456	320	586	460	743	665	753	2020	1136	602	483	341	314	200	160	194	77	61	37	28	5	15	10

Habitat

Open areas that include agricultural fields, disturbed areas, wet meadows, old fields, roadsides, parks, and gardens. In spring, also encountered in woodlands and inside forests.

Sleepy Orange (*Abaeis nicippe*)

County

© Sara Bright

Roadside with Common Partridge Pea

Host Plants

Reports from nearby states list various wild sennas (Senna spp.), Partridge Pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata), and Wild Sensitive Pea (C. nictitans).

These host plants have been documented in Alabama:

For more information about these plants, please visit the Alabama Plant Atlas using the links above.

Landscaping Ideas

Including Partridge Peas in the landscape will feed several species of sulphur caterpillars, including Sleepy Orange.

Nectar sources that include asters, goldenrods, mistflowers, and other late season bloomers are important since Sleepy Orange populations peak in the fall.