Bug FAQClouded Yellow
Colias crocea · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Pieridae
Also called: Clouded Yellow Butterfly
The common clouded yellow has a wingspan of about 45 to 54 mm and the upper side of its wings is golden-orange with a broad black border and a black spot near the centre of the forewing. It lives in open countryside areas up to 1,600 m elevation and flies from March to October, sometimes producing up to three generations per year.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The underside lacks the black borders, is lighter and has a greener tint, especially on the forewings.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan ranges from 45 to 54 mm (about 1.8 to 2.1 in).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It can be found in any open countryside area such as downland, coastal cliffs and fields with its host plants, up to 1,600 m above sea level.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Caterpillars feed on various leguminous plants including clovers, alfalfa, vetches and other members of the Faboideae subfamily. Adults mainly sip nectar from thistles, knapweeds, dandelion, fleabane, marjoram, ragwort and vetches.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are on the wing from March through October and may have up to three generations per year, sometimes still flying in early November.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Flight period extends from March to October.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its breeding range covers North Africa, southern Europe and extends east through Turkey into the Middle East, and it migrates northward in good years, reaching Scandinavia.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It resembles several other Colias species such as C. myrmidone, C. chrysotheme, C. erate, C. hyale and C. alfacariensis, among others.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 2 of 51 states and DC. Most records: New Jersey, Utah.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Same family (Pieridae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colias_croceus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.