About Kricogonia lyside (Godart, 1819)
Kricogonia lyside, commonly called the lyside sulphur, is variable in appearance. The upperside of its wings is pale yellow, and usually has a black bar on the leading edge of the hindwing, plus a bright yellow patch near the base of the forewing. Some individuals also have black borders along the costa and apex of the forewing. The underside of the wings ranges from greenish to bright yellow to nearly white. Greener individuals have a whitish vein in the center of the hindwing and a bright yellow patch at the base of the forewing. Its wingspan measures 3.8 to 6 cm (1.5 to 2.4 in). This butterfly can be found in open, subtropical scrub habitats. The larval stage of the lyside sulphur is also highly variable. Larvae range in color from grass green to blackish green, and may be either marked or unmarked. Marked individuals typically have silvery dorsal and spiracular stripes. It is the only caterpillar that feeds on plants in the family Zygophyllaceae, and feeds exclusively on the leaves of three Guaiacum species: G. sanctum and G. angustifolium in Central and North America, and G. officinale in South America and the Caribbean. The chrysalis of the lyside sulphur is bluish-green. This species can develop from egg to adult in as little as 13 days, and has three or more broods per year in southern Texas.
