About Phoebis sennae (Linnaeus, 1758)
Phoebis sennae, commonly known as the cloudless sulphur, is a mid-sized butterfly belonging to the family Pieridae, found across the Americas. There are several species similar to it: the clouded sulphur (Colias philodice), the yellow angled-sulphur (Anteos maerula) which has angled wings, the statira sulphur (Aphrissa statira), and other much smaller sulphur butterflies. The species name of this butterfly is derived from the genus Senna, which includes many of its larval host plants.
Phoebis sennae has a wide distribution range, extending from South America to southern Canada, and is specifically found in southwestern Ontario. It is most common across the area from Argentina to southern Texas, Georgia, and Florida, but it often visits regions outside this core range, becoming rarer further north.
The common habitats of the cloudless sulphur are open spaces, gardens, glades, seashores, and watercourses. Its breeding season depends on the local climate: it occurs from midsummer to fall in cooler areas, and year-round in warmer climates.
