Bug FAQLittle Yellow
Pyrisitia lisa · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Pieridae
Also called: Little Sulphur, Small Sulphur
The little yellow butterfly has a wingspan of about 3 to 4.5 cm and shows a broad dark edge on the forewing plus two black spots on the underside of the hindwing. It lives in open fields across the southern United States down to Costa Rica and the Antilles, and can occasionally move north to the northern U.S. and Quebec.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The upper side of the forewing has a wide dark border, while the underside of the hindwing shows two basal black spots. Females may appear white (alba form) and males reflect ultraviolet light.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan ranges from 32 mm to 44 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They are commonly seen in open areas, especially old fields.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults feed on nectar from Aster species. They also visit flowers of various Cassia species, Desmanthus, Glycine, Mimosa, and related legumes.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
In the southern part of their range up to five generations may occur each year, while farther north they have one to three broods. Males patrol on warm days to find females; females lay single eggs on the midveins or rachis of host plants.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
They can seasonally expand northward into the northern United States and as far as Quebec.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Their range includes the southern United States, extending south through Central America to Costa Rica and the Caribbean islands.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Do not confuse them with the sleepy orange, which is larger and orange rather than yellow.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 40 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, South Carolina, Florida, Arkansas, Georgia, Ohio, North Carolina, Illinois.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
How can I tell a little yellow from a sleepy orange?
The little yellow is smaller, yellow, and has a dark border on the forewing, while the sleepy orange is larger and orange.
Source: Wikipedia
When are little yellows active in my area?
They may appear seasonally far north, reaching the northern United States and even Quebec during warm periods.
Source: Wikipedia
What plants do adult little yellows visit?
Adults feed on nectar from Aster flowers and also visit various legume flowers such as Cassia, Mimosa, and Glycine species.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Pieridae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurema_lisa
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.