Bug FAQFalcate Orangetip
Anthocharis midea · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Pieridae
Males show an orange tip on the upper side of the forewing while females lack it; both sexes have a round black spot in the wing cell and green marbling on the underside of the hindwing. Adults feed on violet and mustard nectar, and the nocturnal larvae eat flowers, buds and seed pods.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Males have an orange tip on the upper side of the forewing; females do not. Both sexes possess a round black spot in the wing cell. The underside of the hindwing is usually marked with intricate green marbling.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan ranges from roughly 3.5 to 4.5 centimetres.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They live in open, wet woods along waterways and in open swamps, and are also found in drier woods and on ridgetops.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults sip nectar from violets and mustard flowers.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The species produces one generation each year. Larvae pupate in mid-June.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the wing in spring, from April to May, and from March to May in southern Texas.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The falcate orangetip is native to North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
The only similar species in its range is the Olympia marble, which has a gray-black apex on the forewing and yellow-green marbling on the underside of the hindwing.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 28 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee, New Jersey, Arkansas, Ohio.
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
When can I expect to see falcate orangetips?
They fly in spring, typically from April to May, and a bit earlier in southern Texas (March-May).
Source: Wikipedia
What do the caterpillars eat?
The larvae feed at night on flowers, flower buds and seed pods.
Source: Wikipedia
How can I tell a male from a female?
Males have an orange tip on the upper side of the forewing, while females lack this orange tip.
Source: Wikipedia
What habitats do they prefer?
They are found in open, wet woods near water, open swamps, and also in drier woods and on ridgetops.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Pieridae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthocharis_midea
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.