Sleepy Orange (Abaeis [Eurema] nicippe)
| The Sleepy Orange is one of our most common and brightly colored butterflies. Female, Durham Co., NC 8/15/10. |
| Male, Durham Co., NC 8/19/12. |
| You can see hundreds in a day in farm fields in the Coastal Plain. Female, Washington Co., NC 6/21/06. |
| The summer form is a bright orange-yellow beneath and orange above with black borders. Males are less heavily marked than females. Male, Lenoir Co., NC 8/25/02. |
| Summer form female, Lenoir Co., NC 8/25/02. |
| The distinctive "winter" form, with vermiculated lower hindwings, is seen from mid-fall through mid-spring. They are usually a rich, pumpkin-orange color above, with black borders.
These orange butterflies are called "sleepy" because they have a black mark on the forewing shaped like a closed eye. You can see it well on this individual. Female, Craven Co., NC 10/12/01. |
| Male, Orange Co., NC 11/10/02. |
| Definitely one of our most attractive butterflies. Summer form male, Durham Co., NC 9/16/01. |
| A puddle party featuring 20 Sleepy Oranges, 2 Cloudless Sulphurs, 2 Silvery Checkerspots, and 6 Common Checkered-Skippers. Durham Co., NC 8/15/10. |