Eurema nicippe, the sleepy orange, is a North American butterfly in the family Pieridae. Its range spans from Central America to north along the United States-Mexico border, and it often travels further to non-mountainous regions of the southeastern United States.[3]
The sleepy orange is a bright orange butterfly with the upperside of the wings having wide black borders. The forewingcostal margin has a small, narrow black marking that resembles a closed eye. Contrary to popular belief, its name originates from this wing patterning, rather than its behavior; the butterfly has a very rapid flight pattern when disturbed.[4] The underside of the wings varies seasonally: summer forms are bright yellow with brick-red markings, while winter forms are browner and more heavily marked. It has a wingspan of 13⁄8–21⁄4 inches (35–50 mm).[5]
The sleepy orange generally prefers low elevation areas,[3] agricultural land, and disturbed sites,[5] and may be found in or around old fields, roadsides, woods edges, swamps, wet meadows, open woodlands, margins of ponds, waterways, and valleys.[4]
Its eggs are spindle-shaped and white in color when first laid, but quickly turn yellow.[4] They are laid on the underside of the leaves of its host plant, often members of the legume family.[6] The larva is pale green with a narrow white stripe along its length on either side and very short hairs.[4] The chrysalis varies from pale green[7] to brown-black later in its life cycle.[5] They have two to four broods per year. They can be found year-round further south, but migrate north during the warmer summer months.[8]
