Desert Orangetip (Anthocharis cethura Felder and Felder)
Wing span: 1 - 1 1/2 inches (2.6 - 4 cm).
Identification: Male white, female yellow; forewing with orange patch between discal bar and black and white stripes at apex of wing; costal edge of forewing striate with black; hindwing below with heavy green marbling.
Biology: Caterpillar with alternating bands of orange-yellow and green and with a row of segmental white patches along each side.
Flight: Early February to April, rarely as late as June.
Caterpillar hosts: A number of mustard species (Brassicaceae) including tansy mustard, jewelflower, and tumble mustard.
Habitat: Desert hills and ridges.
Range: Central California south to southern Baja California, eastward across Nevada, southwestern Utah, Arizona, as far as western Texas.
