Little Yellow Pyrisitia lisa (Boisduval & Leconte, [1830])    Synonyms: Hodges #4237, Little Sulfur, Little Sulphur.
Kingdom Animalia   >   Phylum Arthropoda   >   Class Insecta   >   Order Lepidoptera   >   Family Pieridae   >   Genus Pyrisitia   

Status:

Little Yellow (Pyristia lisa), as its name suggests, is a bantam-sized yellow butterfly. This species, like many of its relatives, tends to disperse northwards in late summer. It can be found throughout Maryland, and indeed, there are records from all counties. While its host plants occur widely, and it has been observed ovipositing, successful reproduction has not been confirmed, and it is likely it cannot tolerate the coldest winter temperatures (Butterflies of Maryland: A Biological Summary and Checklist by Lynn Davidson & Richard Smith; Brock & Kaufman 2003; Allen 1997).

Relationships:

Prefers senna, especially partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata) and sensitive pea (Chamaecrista nictitans) as larval food plants.

There are 99 records in the project database.

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A Little Yellow on Hart-Miller Island, Maryland (8/5/2012). Photo by Jon Corcoran. (MBP list)

A Little Yellow in Kent Co., Maryland (8/25/2012). Photo by Mark Johnson. (MBP list)

A Little Yellow in Washington Co., Maryland (10/3/2012). Photo by Bonnie Ott. (MBP list)

A Little Yellow near the Patxuent River in Calvert Co., Maryland (10/2/2010). Photo by Bill Hubick. (MBP list)

A Little Yellow in Baltimore Co., Maryland (9/18/2016). Photo by Richard Crook. (MBP list)

Little Yellow in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (10/2/2010). (c) Frode Jacobsen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Frode Jacobsen. (MBP list)

Little Yellow in Prince George's Co., Maryland (9/15/2019). (c) Timothy Reichard, all rights reserved. Photo by Timothy Reichard. (MBP list)

Little Yellow in Charles Co., Maryland (10/2/2010). (c) Frode Jacobsen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Frode Jacobsen. (MBP list)

Little Yellow in Worcester Co., Maryland (10/10/2010). (c) Frode Jacobsen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Frode Jacobsen. (MBP list)

Little Yellow in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (9/15/2012). (c) jugbayjs, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by jugbayjs via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Little Yellow in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (10/12/2012). (c) mcnod, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by mcnod via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Little Yellow in Prince George's Co., Maryland (9/15/2019). (c) Timothy Reichard, all rights reserved. Photo by Timothy Reichard. (MBP list)

Little Yellow in Washington Co., Maryland (5/13/2006). (c) Hans Holbrook, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Hans Holbrook. (MBP list)

Little Yellow in Washington Co., Maryland (5/21/2006). (c) Hans Holbrook, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Hans Holbrook. (MBP list)

Little Yellow in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (9/15/2012). (c) jugbayjs, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by jugbayjs via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

A Little Yellow in Howard Co., Maryland (8/31/2015). Photo by Jim Wilkinson. (MBP list)


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