Name of this butterfly?

I have lots of these around my cypress vine. Do you know the name of this butterfly?

It looks like a Sleepy Orange (Eurema nicippe) to me.
Art

Thanks Art!

These are the flightiest butterflys. I kept trying to get one on a flower; however, this one appeared to be asleep or resting soundly and got a picture.

A big ol hearty welcome to DG, to ya, darlindeb !!

I dunno exactly which one, mindja .. but he's gotta be one of the Sulphurs. .. lol ..
Proves very difficult for me to determine which is which of these fellers!

Here's .. jes one website, that may hep ya out a bit sometimes. > http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/bflyusa/bflyusa.htm

- Magpye

Well, I looked around the website you suggested magpye. Sooooooooo many butterflies -hard to tell them apart. I guess you have to get really tight close-ups
on these. It does look like the Sleepy Orange. I may try to get a tighter shot if I can get one to hold still.

I can't remember seeing this many before. They sure like cypress vine.

Thanks for the welcome

You'll have plenty more of that vine next year for them too! I cut mine down a while back because they were so thick. They were already starting to seed and I got scared! lol

I agree on the cypress vine. mine seemed to grow like kudzu and I have been trying to eliminate most of it.

Hi, your butterfly I feel sure is a 'Pale Clouded Yellow', which lays eggs on upperside of leaves of the caterpillars food source, which is lucerne, also other species of clover and related plants. the caterpillar is green with small, fine , black spots with a yellowish or reddish longitudinal line on each side. This info from a Collins Guide of Britain & Europe, but it is spot on. Says an very attractive flyer.

Thank you for the input. I hope to get a book soon that pictures many of the butterflies common to Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas. I'm new to butterfly watching; however, it should would be nice to tell people who visit my garden the name of different butterflies that they see.

I've looked at several sites and several books. There are so many butterflies in the sulphur variety that you could just about go blind trying to figure out all the subtle differences.

We are out in the country so there is plenty of clover for them to eat.

I had loads of these butterflies on my cypress vine. I saw one in my yard 2 days ago so I guess some winter over here.

I also saw this little guy who you can just barely make out getting a drink from one of my violas. I guess this one is some kind of skipper.

Hi,
I looked at the site given, and yes there are lots of sulphurs, but none of them matched like this one, subtle differences. By the sounds of the clover it could fit, now to see if they are in the US. Many varieties are found in different countries, the book states Cental and Eastern Europe, sometimes migrating to central Scandinavia and a rare visitor to Britain; in mountains up to 2,000 metres; in open countryside; common in pastures and clover fields.
i have had several types this year, I grew species dahlias and dwarfs from seed, first year I have seen so many, they got used to me after a while and I could get to within 6" with the camera. Take a look at this:

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/555938/

hello again, I have found a site with pic of this butterfly, it seems to have a wide range through Europe, if your habitat suits it, it is looking positive.

http://www.butterfly-conservation.org/species/bdata/pale_clouded_yellow.html

Thanks. That is very kind of you.

I just got back from the U.K. butterfly site Wallaby1 suggested. That is a nice site; however, I don't know how many butterflies the U.S. and the U.K. have in common. The Peacock butterfly you all have in the U.K is awesome. The picture Wallaby1 took of a Peacock butterfly in his yard-- you all have to go check out. It's on that dave'sgarden hyperlink he mentioned 2 posts back. It's just gorgeous!

There is a professor here in Oklahoma that can probably tell me which sulphur this is for sure. Once I find out, I'll let you know.

It was interesting to look at the difference in a Swallowtail in the U.K. compared to one of the varieties of our Swallowtails here.

Had a look in my book, there are two red patches at the tail end on ours, though I haven't as yet seen one, perhaps now with my different flowers I might get one. There are also differences between male and female, the Brimstone male in my picture is quite green, the female I had also, a creamy lighter yellow.
Your butterfly does seem to have a few more speckly brown bits on it's wings, the description goes: with a diffuse blackish marginal band and a black central spot on upperside of forewing, underside of hindwing with two small contiguous circles that form a figure 8. It seems butterflies can vary a llittle according to region, perhaps this is a close relative?
Lucky you, being able to ask a professor!

Considering this butterfly is found all the way to Noth East China, and Japan, right acroos Europe, it may have migrated, they do fly long distances, some migrate like swallows.

Thanks for the comments, I am actually a 'she', no matter.
(Oh, and we have 'gardens' in England)

Sorry about making you a guy for a day. The photos from your garden are lovely.

I also get some of these butterflies with a greenish cast to them.

Someone also told me that the sulphurs can interbreed. I'll try to find out if that is true also and get back to you.

It was a real pleasure being able to get their trust, very flighty to start, it brought a smile to my face just to see them. I even got worried when the female had some chunks missing from a wing, they become your friends. I will post a couple of pics of the Brimstone for a better look, one I managed to get with open wings just as it was landing, they typically feed with closed wings. Their flight habit is hilarious, just like the men who strapped wings to their arms and tried to fly! Their wings go well down as if their body is too heavy, also have some of them in flight. This is the only butterfly not to hibernate, they overwinter in evergreen shrubs, I saw one in November going into my ceanothus.

I have read even the experts have trouble with identity, I suppose butterflies are like humans, all come from the same place but differ with nationality!

wings open alighting Brimstone

meant to say female Peacock with chunks out of the wing.

here's a Brimstone in flight

now I'm really losing it! it was the female Red Admiral with chunks out the wing.

Here's one of the bold one, I imagine the male not sure

also had a Small Tortoiseshell, not that small but there must be a bigger one.
Only saw it once, it was not bothered except when I tried to get a little closer than 6", landed on a dandelion next to our back door. Got 2 more of it as it flew to different places, it was very tame.

I think those Brimstones must be related to the sulphurs here. I haven't been able to get a shot of those yellow butterflies with wings open in my garden. I've tried.

When I was looking at the U.K. butterfly site I didn't see anything that resembled the 'Monarch' butterfly. Of course, I didn't look at every picture.

We are having horrible grass fires tonight in Oklahoma. Some areas have even been evacuated.
Another DGer in this state e-mailed me she could see the flames from her house and had her coat and purse by the door if she had to leave. I wonder if these fires will effect butterfly patterns at all next year. I live out in the country and so far no fires here. I just hope they can get the fires still burning under control.

I hope you are safe, it reminds me of bushfires in Australia, my father had a truck with a water container on standby, I remember going with him once when I was small. We also had a couple on our farm, but that was my brother's doing, he had a penchance for matches and fires when young! We were in a hilly area, more rainfall, but very hot, dry summers, the grass got tinder dry, and eucalyptus burns well. Keep me informed. I'm not sure whether it will affect the butterflies too much, most hatch out during summer to autumn, some 3 lots, they overwinter in house rooves, tree holes,etc, so if they have already hibernated there might be a risk, if not I think they can fly quite high, a lot of these creatures, like spiders even, take advantage of the jetstreams, haven't really done much research.
The Red Admiral hibernates as an adult butterfly, but only in isolated cases north of the Alps. probably too cold. My book says some try to migrate back south in the autumn, and when assisted by the wind can migrate up to several thousand kilometres northwards.
The Monarchs are beautiful, and both together, they do tend to stay together as a couple, mine did, but of of the Red Admirals was a bit shyer. Were they in your garden? Closest i can find is the Painted Lady here.
I was lucky to get the Brimstone as it landed, they never have wings open when feeding, tried when they took of, but they were faster than my reaction!

You could do with a good rain to put the fires out, I'll be thinking of you.