Sleepy orange butterfly (Abaeis nicippe)
A small, glowy orange butterfly with striking thick brown margins gets its name from faint curving marks that look to some like closed eyes on the center edge of the forewing.
How to identify sleepy orange butterfly
The yellow undersides of the 1½- to 2¼-inch-wide wings show various blurry brown and black markings. In the cooler months, the yellow color deepens to rust. Both the male and the female butterfly look very similar.
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Life cycle
Females lay slender oblong eggs on host plants in the pea family. Caterpillars are green with a slight blue cast and have short, fine white hairs and a long, creamy white stripe on either side. Chrysalises have long, pointed ends and are often green, but can be a range of colors, including dark brown.
Habitat of sleepy orange butterfly
During summer months, you might see sleepy orange butterflies in the southern half of the United States. In winter they migrate further south, into Central America.
What they eat in the garden
The caterpillars feed on Southern natives, such as sensitive partridge pea (Chamaecrista nictitans) and wild senna (Senna hebecarpa). The butterflies tend to be active in open fields and along waterways, and frequently feed on minerals on wet soil and in mud puddles. Any source of nectar suits their fancy.
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