Sleepy Orange: Abaeis nicippe

The Sleepy Orange is the other yellow butterfly that is common at the moment. It is smaller than the Cloudless Sulphur and a golden-yellow color in contrast to the lemon-green color characteristic of the Cloudless Sulphur. Although I often see the Cloudless Sulphurs flying across the road on my commute home in the afternoons, I rarely see the Sleepy Oranges flying long distances.


The Sleepy Orange folds its wings immediately after it settles.

When disturbed, they fly in an erratic manner until they settle again. It’s very difficult to get a photo of this butterfly with open wings. I did manage to get a ‘silhouette’ shot that shows the ghost of the black band at the edge of the top of the wings.
Identification resources:
- West Central Georgia Butterflies by Michael Beohm: Sleepy Orange (Abaeis nicippe)
- BugGuide: Sleepy Orange (Abaeis nicippe) [Wings folded] [Wings open]
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