Bug FAQTailed Orange
Pyrisitia proterpia · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Pieridae
Also called: Little Jaune
The tailed orange butterfly has a wingspan of about 32 to 44 mm and its upper wings are orange with variable black along the forewing edge, while the underside changes with the season. It lives in open habitats such as woodlands, deserts and subtropical areas across North and South America, and its caterpillars feed on several legume plants.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan ranges from about 1 ¼ to 1 ¾ inches (32 to 44 mm).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It inhabits open woodlands, deserts and subtropical habitats.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Host plants include Cassia texana, species of Chamaecrista, Desmodium, Prosopis reptans and Senna chamaecrista.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Males patrol all day looking for females.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
In Arizona it appears from mid-July to early January, in Texas from August to November, and it is present year-round in Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
The only similar species in its range is the sleepy orange. The sleepy orange has a black spot in the forewing cell, a black marginal border on the hindwing, and its hindwing is not pointed.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 10 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Florida, Oregon, Arkansas.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
Questions people ask
What do the caterpillars look like?
They are bright yellow-green with a yellow stripe along the side.
Source: Wikipedia
When can I see tailed orange butterflies?
In Arizona from mid-July to early January, in Texas from August to November, and all year in Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia
What plants do the larvae feed on?
They eat legumes such as Cassia texana, Chamaecrista, Desmodium, Prosopis reptans and Senna chamaecrista.
Source: Wikipedia
How can I tell a tailed orange from a sleepy orange?
Tailed orange wings are orange with variable black on the forewing edge, while sleepy orange has a black spot in the forewing cell, a black border on the hindwing, and a non-pointed hindwing.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Pieridae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurema_proterpia
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.