Little Yellow - Alabama Butterfly Atlas

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These charming butterflies are the most widespread and common of Alabama’s small sulphurs. However, they are not freeze-tolerant and must recolonize from frost-free regions each year. Nationally, as the summer progresses, their populations push further north than any of their close relatives, reaching into Canada. In Alabama's coastal counties, adult Little Yellows sometimes overwinter, depending on the severity of the winter (see flight chart above). Most of the state should not expect to see them until summer and fall, when warm temperatures allow their population to expanded northward. Like Cloudless Sulphurs, Little Yellows engage in a southward "reverse migration" in the fall.

Like other sulphurs, Little Yellows are seasonably variable in appearance and lifestyle. Summer forms are lighter in color, and female hindwings may be white. They are short lived, but produce several generations. Winter forms are darker yellow, more heavily patterned, and often have rosy-pink wing fringe. These butterflies spend the winter months in reproductive diapause.

Little Yellows fly close to the ground and drink nectar from many low-growing flowers. Males avidly sip minerals from damp earth and are common constituents of late-summer puddle clubs.

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, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Chilton, Choctaw, Clarke, Clay, Cleburne, Coffee, Colbert, Coosa, Covington, Crenshaw, Cullman, Dale, Dallas, DeKalb, Elmore, Escambia, Etowah, Fayette, Franklin, Geneva, 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, 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):

205 - Bibb - 9/7/2014
118 - Tuscaloosa - 9/14/2012
105 - Bibb - 9/15/2012

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
13	1	3	11		3	3	23	6	6	6	3		2	2	5	5	6	6	20	23	18	4	17	42	69	92	171	93	169	310	493	706	706	516	614	512	283	201	129	162	53	65	52	34	46	17	61

Habitat

Open areas including fields, vacant lots, roadsides, woodland edges, disturbed sites, and gardens

Little Yellow (*Pyrisitia lisa*)

County

© Sara Bright

Woodland edge with drifts of Partridge Pea

Host and Nectar Plants

Reports from nearby states list members of the Pea family (Fabaceae) -- especially partridge peas (Chamaecrista spp.) and sennas (Senna spp.).

The following have been documented in Alabama:

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

Landscaping Ideas

Include Partridge Pea in the landscape to feed many sulphur caterpillars, including those of Little Yellow.

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