• Butterflies
• Dragonflies
• Damselflies
• Tiger beetles
• Hike with Mike

• The butterflies:
• Whites and Sulphurs
  • Whites
  • Sulphurs
• Sulphurs
  • Clouded Sulphur
  • Orange Sulphur
  • Pink-edged Sulphur
  • Southern Dogface
  • Cloudless Sulphur
  • Orange-barred Sulphur
  • Large Orange Sulphur
  • Mexican Yellow
  • Little Yellow
  • Sleepy Orange
  • Dainty Sulphur

Orange-barred Sulphur

(Phoebis philea)

The Orange-barred Sulphur is a rare stray from the far southern states. This mainly tropical butterfly has been found only three times in Wisconsin, but like the other strays you never know when you might get a glimpse of this species.

Identifying characteristics: The largest Sulphur encountered in Wisconsin. The wingspan of this species can reach up to 4 inches. Both male and female butterflies are yellow above with an orange bar covering at least a third of the hindwing. Males also have an orange bar on the front wing. Females additionally have some faint black, submarginal and marginalspots. The underside of both sexes is orange with a variety of spots.

Similar species: The Large Orange Sulphur, another very rare stray butterfly in Wisconsin, is bright orange above and below has straight diagonal line in the apex of the front wing. In the Orange-barred Sulphur, this line is broken and the upper surface is mainly yellow with orange bars.

Submit a Orange-barred Sulphur sighting »