Anthocharis midea

Distinguished from the only similar species in range, Euchloe olympia (Olympia marble), by orange (not grayish-black) forewing apex in males and green (not yellow-green) hindwing marbling. The round black forewing spot also aids identification.

Wingspan 3.5–4.5 cm. Male forewing apex orange on upper surface; females lack orange tips. Both sexes have a round black spot in the forewing cell. Hindwing underside with intricate green marbling. Larva olive green with yellow mid-dorsal stripe and white spiracular stripe running length of body; body covered with short hairs and tiny black dots, reaching up to 3 cm. Chrysalis yellowish with black spots and a spike-like head projection resembling a thorn.

Open, wet woods along waterways; open swamps; less frequently dry woods and ridgetops. Oak-hickory forest understories and edges where native Brassicaceae hosts occur.

Eastern United States, extending to Texas and Oklahoma.

Adults on wing April to May; March to May in southern Texas. Univoltine with one brood per year.

Adults forage for nectar from violets, mustards, and other available flowers. Larvae consume flowers, flower buds, seed pods, and young leaves of Brassicaceae host plants; prefer flowers and reproductive structures over foliage.

• Cardamine concatenata - primary native hostAdults oviposit on developing flowers and upper stems; larvae consume flowers, young leaves, and developing siliques
• Alliaria petiolata - ecological trapHighly attractive to ovipositing adults but lethal to larvae
• Cardamine diphylla - native host
• Cardamine pratensis - native host
• Arabis glabra - native host
• Arabidopsis lyrata - native host
• Arabis serotina - native host
• Barbarea verna - native host
• Boechera canadensis - native host
• Boechera grahamii - native host
• Boechera laevigata - native host
• Cardamine angustata - native host
• Cardamine bulbosa - native host
• Cardamine hirsuta - native host
• Cardamine parviflora - native host
• Lepidium densiflorum - native host

Overwinters as chrysalis for two or more years possible. Emerges early spring (typically April in northern range, March in southern Texas). Adults live approximately one week. Females lay eggs singly on host plant flowers, occasionally in multiples; eggs yellow-green turning red before hatching within one week. Larvae feed mainly at night for up to 14 days, becoming increasingly mobile in late instars to seek new food sources. Pupation occurs in mid-June near base of host plants or on trees. One brood per year.

Males patrol hilltops and flats throughout the day seeking females. Larvae are cannibalistic, consuming smaller larvae on the same plant. Adults exhibit seasonal shift in oviposition preference: prefer native host Cardamine concatenata early in season, but strongly prefer invasive Alliaria petiolata later in season. Flight rapid and erratic; adults often reluctant to perch.

Specialist herbivore on native Brassicaceae. Subject to ecological trap dynamics with invasive Alliaria petiolata that may cause local population declines and drive selection for altered adult oviposition behavior or larval tolerance.

Serves as a study system for ecological trap dynamics and invasive species impacts on native herbivores. No significant direct economic or cultural importance documented.

• Euchloe olympiaOnly similar species in range; distinguished by grayish-black (not orange) forewing apex and yellow-green (not green) hindwing marbling

• butterfly
• pierid
• spring ephemeral
• specialist herbivore
• ecological trap
• univoltine

• BugGuide
• Wikipedia
• GBIF taxonomy match
• iNaturalist taxon
• NCBI Taxonomy
• Catalogue of Life
• Braconidae | Beetles In The Bush
• Missouri | Beetles In The Bush | Page 2
• The Invasive Plant, Alliaria petiolata, Is an Ecological Trap for the Native Butterfly, Anthocharis midea, in North America