Bug FAQLarge Orange Sulphur
Phoebis agarithe · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Pieridae
Also called: Orange Giant Sulphur
Its wingspan ranges from about 57 to 86 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Phoebis agarithe belongs to the butterfly family Pieridae.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan measures between 57 and 86 mm (2.2 to 3.4 in).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It lives in open tropical lowlands such as gardens, pastures, road edges, trails and parks.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
In southern Texas adults appear in August-September; in tropical zones they are present year-round.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its range extends from Peru northward to southern Texas and peninsular Florida.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It is a Pieridae butterfly, matching its taxonomic description.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 18 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Florida, California, Arizona, Hawaii, New Mexico, Kansas, Colorado.
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
Same family (Pieridae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoebis_agarithe
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.