Cloudless Sulphur Butterfly

Those pretty little patches of yellow that you often see flitting about your garden are cloudless sulphur butterflies, one of Florida’s most common butterfly species.

This butterfly gets its scientific name, Phoebis sennae, from Phoebe, sister of the sun god Apollo in Greek and Roman mythology, and Senna, the genus to which many of the cloudless sulphur’s larval host plants belong.

Adult butterflies are usually bright yellow, although females can sometimes be pale yellow or even white. Cloudless sulphur butterflies have relatively long tongues and are able to reach the nectar in tubular flowers that other butterflies cannot. They prefer red flowers and frequently get nectar from scarlet creeper (Ipomoea hederifolia) and scarlet salvia (Salvia coccinea).

Generally, the larvae of these butterflies are green with yellow lateral lines, blue patches and bands of tiny blue spots bearing black setae (short hairs covering all or a part of their bodies). But the caterpillars can look different depending on what they eat. Larvae that feed predominantly on flowers instead of leaves are yellow with black bands.

There are a number of native host plants for cloudless sulphur caterpillars, but they’re attracted to a few troublesome plants as well.

A bright green caterpillar with yellow stripe — A green cloudless sulphur caterpillar. Photo: Marc Minno, University of Florida.

Native Host Plants

Florida Keys sensitive pea, Chamaecrista deeringiana
Maryland wild sensitive plant, Senna marilandica
Big Pine partridge pea, Chamaecrista lineata var. keyensis
Partridge pea, Chamaecrista fasciculata
Privet wild sensitive plant, Senna ligustrina
Sensitive pea, Chamaecrista nictitans
Chapman’s wild sensitive plant, Senna mexicana var. chapmanii
Sicklepod, Senna obtusifolia

Introduced Host Species

All but one of these plants are either listed the UF/IFAS Assessment of Non-native Plants in Florida’s Natural Areas as invasive and not to be planted, or to be managed with caution. The links will take you to the assessment’s page for the species.

Africa senna (popcorn senna or wild sensitive plant), Senna didymobotrya. Listed as high risk and cannot be recommended.
Candlestick plant, Senna alata; this plant should not be planted and existing plants should be managed to prevent escape.
Glossy shower, Senna surattentis
Coffe senna or septicweed, Senna occidentalis. Plants should be used with caution and managed to prevent escape.
Christmas senna (Christmas cassia or valamuerto), Senna pendula var. glabrata. This plant is invasive and should not be planted in Florida; be aware that this plant is also often sold under the incorrect name Senna bicapsularis.