The Pierid butterflies were the way “butterflies” got their names when the early naturalists literally called them “butter colored flies”. I don’t have any photos of these yellow butterflies with open wings, because they almost always land with them closed.
Falcate Orangetip: One of our first spring butterflies
This cheerful white butterfly with yellow tips is a delight to see in the spring.
Cloudless Sulfur: the biggest yellow butterfly
The Cloudless sulfur butterfly is the biggest yellow butterfly in the area. It is mostly yellow, and once summer wildflowers are blooming, we can see it all over the island, flitting over the marsh and visiting everything that is blooming, including climbing hempweed, goldenrod, marsh mallow, and more.
Sleepy Orange: Anything but Sleepy
Named “sleepy” because of their lack of eye spots, these butterflies never seem sleepy! They’re often moving so quickly that they are hard to capture with a camera!
Little Yellow: a Perfectly named Butterfly
This tiny yellow butterfly flits around like the Cloudless Sulfur but it’s much smaller.