Falcate Orangetip Butterfly

Description:

Butterfly where the upper side of the male's forewing is orange. Females lack this orange area and are all white. Both have a round black spot located in the cell. The underside of the hindwing usually has intricate green-marbling. The orangetips have a wingspan of around 3.5-4.5 centimeters.

Habitat:

They tend to live in open, wet woods along waterways, in open swamps, and less often in dry woods and ridgetops. This one was photographed along the Tanager Loop Trail at the Silver Bluff Audubon Center near Jackson (Aiken County, SC).

Notes:

This is a male. The Falcate Orangetip is a true spring time butterfly, being on the wing from March through May in South Carolina.