Orange Barred Giant Sulphur

Orange-barred Giant Sulphur (Phoebis philea) is a large and striking yellow butterfly with patches of bright orange on the topsides of its wings. A fast-flying butterfly, the members of this species are best to be viewed and their many frequent nectaring spots.

Females lay elongated spindle-shaped eggs on sennas especially Candlestick Cassias (Cassia alata), Sicklepod Cassias (Cassia obtusifolia) and Christmas Cassias (Cassia bicapsularis) in the Tampa Bay area.

Caterpillars are green with lateral bands of black with yellow below and the larvae have black dots and hairs. When the caterpillars consume the flowers of their senna hosts the caterpillars often appear as bright yellow in color rather than overall green.

The chrysalis of this species has a bowed shape with variable colors, generally greenish in appearance. The pupae strongly resembles the shape of an unopened leaf or seed pod. Shortly before emerging, the wing spots and anatomical structures of the developing butterfly become increasingly visible through the pupal skin. Often, the emergence of the butterfly can be predicted based upon the coloration of the chrysalis and the butterfly inside.

The adult butterfly will have a wingspan of 2 3/4-3 1/4" with males having darker orange patches than the females. In summer, females may appear considerably more white or pale yellow in color which is common among many species of sulphur butterflies. This species in common throughout Florida and Texas but may stray as far north as New York and Nebraska.