Tailed orange facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tailed orange
In Jamaica
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Pieridae
Genus:	Eurema
Species:	E. proterpia
Binomial name
Eurema proterpia (Fabricius, 1775)
Synonyms
Papilio proterpia Fabricius, 1775 Pyrisitia proterpia Terias proterpia Terias gundlachia Poey, 1851 Terias longicauda Bates, 1864 Eurema longicauda Eurema proterpia watsonia Klots, 1923 Eurema gundlachia morleyi Coxeý, 1932 Terias proterpia ab. imitatrix d'Almeida, 1932 Papilio atzin Arias, 1968 (nom. nud.)

The tailed orange (scientific name: Eurema proterpia) is a type of butterfly. You can find it in North America and South America. It belongs to the Pieridae family, which includes many yellow and white butterflies.

Appearance

The top side of the tailed orange's wings is bright orange. It has some black along the front edge of its forewing. In summer, the wing veins might have light black marks. But in winter, these black marks on the veins disappear.

Male tailed oranges have a special feature: their upper wings reflect UV light. Some female tailed oranges can even be white instead of orange.

The underside of their wings changes with the seasons. In summer, the underside is yellow-orange. The hindwing (back wing) is slightly pointed. In winter, the underside turns brown with darker brown patterns. The hindwing becomes much more pointed. This butterfly has a wingspan of about 1.25 to 1.75 inches (32–44 mm).

Similar Species

The only butterfly that looks similar to the tailed orange in its home range is the sleepy orange (Eurema nicippe).

You can tell the sleepy orange apart because it has a black spot on its forewing. Also, the top of its hindwing has a black border. And its hindwing is not pointed like the tailed orange's.

Habitat

The tailed orange butterfly lives in many different open places. These include open woodlands, desert areas, and warm, subtropical regions.

Flight Season

You can see this butterfly flying at different times depending on the location. In Arizona, they fly from mid-July to early January. In Texas, they are active from August to November. In Mexico, you might spot them flying all year round.

Life Cycle

Male tailed oranges spend their days flying around. They are looking for females to mate with.

The young form of the butterfly, called a larva, is bright yellow-green. It has a yellow stripe along its side.

Host Plants

Tailed orange caterpillars eat leaves from certain plants. These plants are called host plants. Some of their favorite host plants include:

• Cassia texana
• Chamaecrista species
• Desmodium species
• Prosopis reptans
• Senna chamaecrista