Great picture Sandy. We had our first frost last night, but it was very light and some nectar plants survived...RIP zinnias.

I think I may have seen the same butterfly here along with other sulphurs. This weekend should provide a LAST chance to photograph it, before the plants succumb to the cold.

Loving our bonus butterfly weather! our average first frost is Oct 7. Have a great weekend, Tony

Congrats on your find, Sandy!
I imagine she's a female, since most of the sulphur white forms are female. I just love dainty sulphurs of any color - they're not that common here.
Butterfly activity has dropped off here, what with the low temps we've had for the past two nights, upper thirty's I think, very cold for this time of year. Only gulf frits, sleepy oranges, and cloudless sulphurs are still common.
I've still got a dozen buckeye chrysalides, that I left outside in the cold weather. I guess they'll emerge when it warms up, which it's supposed to do.
Sherry

Sandy,
What a wonderful opportunity to see and photograph "VERY RARE". Do you realize how rare though? White form (sometimes referred to as albinic) females AND males of this species are well known from extreme southern FL and the north Caribbean (SE segregate) and can be common there, with sub white form intergrades decreasing as you go north in this colony. But they are not from the central and southwestern segregates of this species (from Central to North America and Baja to California). Add that the SE colony is not cold tolerant and not known to be very migratory (both of which the central colony is but the SW is not), and you have indeed seen very rare in your area. Easily the most exciting discovery you've made IMO (that I know of), and one you would have missed in your home garden. Many would not have recognized what they saw with a species that can be so variable, so your field experience is really paying off. A big pat on the back girl.

Of additional interst maybe... I did some extended rearing studies with this species in the 80's and 90's (central colony), and easily produced a wide variety of color combinations in the direction of melinistic individuals through environmental control. But very few individuals leaning towards albinic occurred despite my also trying to produce them. I just didn't carry the white form project through enough genrations to get that form set in any numbers, but what I did does suggests it can be done with other than SE colony livestock through selective breeding.

Larry

Thanks, Larry. Your words mean a LOT to me. Once I started researching, I knew I had found something incredible. But, it's kind of ho-hum with most people. You confirmed how exciting this find is. I submitted the photo to BAMONA. Now I just want to get out and go everyday. Right now is a great time to explore. I also found an Achalarus lyciades that didn't have any gold--just white spots. But that is a variant that probably isn't all that uncommon. It's fun to be able to look at a BF and say "I know what you are, but you don't look like the others."

Sandy

Sandy,
When the shoe fits... ;) I think it is understandable that a lot of folks wouldn't recognize, or at least not take the effort to do research deep enough if they do come across something different that they do notice. We all do what we do at levels that fit our desires and abilities. Nothing wrong with that if that's all you want. You're just one of those who like me have an insatiable appetie for lepidoptera, so will expend the time, effort and expense to get out in the real world of lepidoptera to make new discoveries and learn all we can about them. I am not impressed with BOMONA as you know. Unfortunately Harry Clench died over 30 years ago - he's who I'd want to send the N. iola information to. He did a lot of research and a paper on this species, specifically targeting the SE colony and the forms. I used to have a large collection of the specific periodicals that it was published in some years before he died, but assume after I gave them all to my son he just discarded them.
Larry

Maybe your Achalarus lyciades was similar to this...
{{gwi:549401}}

Yes!! That's what it looked like.

Sandy