Bug FAQCalifornia Patch
Chlosyne californica · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Nymphalidae
The California patch butterfly has a wingspan of about 32 to 51 mm and shows brown-black bases with a bright yellow-orange band and orange spots on the upper wings. It lives in desert washes and canyons from southern Nevada through Arizona, California, Baja California and Sonora, and adults sip nectar while the larvae feed on Parish goldeneye and sometimes sunflowers.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Upper wings are brown-black at the base and edge, with a wide yellow-orange middle band and large orange spots near the margin.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan ranges from about 1¼ to 2 inches (32 to 51 mm).
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults feed on flower nectar. Caterpillars eat Parish goldeneye (Bahiopsis parishii) and occasionally sunflowers (Helianthus annuus).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is a butterfly of the Nymphalidae family native to the southwestern United States and Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 6 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Arizona, Nevada, Texas, New Mexico, Utah.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do the caterpillars of the California patch eat?
The larvae feed on Parish goldeneye and sometimes on sunflowers.
Source: Wikipedia
Where is the California patch butterfly found?
It lives in desert washes and canyons from southern Nevada through Arizona, California, Baja California and Sonora.
Source: Wikipedia
How large is the California patch butterfly?
Its wingspan is about 32 to 51 mm (1¼ to 2 inches).
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Nymphalidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlosyne_californica
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.