Phoebis agarithe fisheri

Large Orange Sulphur

A classic case of a butterfly that followed exotic plants into the state. Once a very rare stray, this is now a common butterfly much of the year in Palm Desert and a few other places where non-native landscaping plants in the Fabaceae family (such as Pithecellobium dulce trees) are now widespread. These may be confused with cloudless sulphurs in our area, but the unbroken line visible on the ventral side of the forewing distinguishes it from the cloudless, which has a broken line. Large orange sulphurs tend to be larger as well, and a bolder yellow color, especially the females.

These have become established in Palm Desert, where ornamental plantings of various desert legumes are everywhere. The butterfly seems particularly attached to Calliandra haematocephala, red powder puff, which is an increasingly popular non-native legume in the desert and beyond. It's the only plant I've seen larvae develop on, though females may oviposit on related plants. It took me several years to figure out the relationship between these exotic yellow butterflies in Palm Desert and what plants they favored. Calliandra seems to be the one. I even see this plant now at my local golf course's restaurant parking lot in Long Beach, and I picked one up at a local nursery. It makes a great vine on fences, and is a lush green year-round.

I finally was able to get a positive identification of a large orange sulphur in my garden in Long Beach on January 1st, 2024. I had been seeing sulphurs that looked different from the usual cloudless sulphurs around; they were a bit more orange than the yellow cloudless sulphur males. Looking at iNaturalist, it is clear that these are being seen now across southern California, probably thanks to widespread ornamental planting of the same kind of desert-adapted leguminous shrubs and trees that drew them to Palm Desert several years ago. I've certainly seen these same imports take hold in yards around Long Beach in recent years. In late 2025, I finally began finding eggs and caterpillars easily, so I should have a full account of the life cycle before too long.

Phoebis agarithe fisheri - Large Orange Sulphur
Phoebis agarithe fisheri is much more common in Arizona than in southern California, but a good population has taken hold in the Palm Desert area, where all the photographs on this page were taken. June 18, 2016.
Phoebis agarithe fisheri - Large Orange Sulphur
Another large orange sulphur, same day as above.
Phoebis agarithe fisheri - Large Orange Sulphur
A large orange sulphur, Phoebis agarithe fisheri, at a nursery in Palm Desert (Riverside Co., CA) on October 11, 2009.
Phoebis agarithe fisheri - Large Orange Sulphur
Phoebis agarithe fisheri, showing a bit of the dorsal side. Palm Desert, June 25, 2012.
Phoebis agarithe fisheri - Large Orange Sulphur
Same large orange sulphur as above. Palm Desert, June 25, 2012.
egg of Phoebis agarithe fisheri - Large Orange Sulphur
This is the egg of Phoebis agarithe on Calliandra haematocephala in Palm Desert. October 18, 2025. They are white at first but turn yellowish in a day or so.
first instar larva of Phoebis agarithe fisheri - Large Orange Sulphur
Just out of the egg: a tiny first instar large orange sulphur. These were yellow after hatching but subsequent instars were mostly green. September 18, 2025.
caterpillar of Phoebis agarithe fisheri - Large Orange Sulphur
These develop quickly; I believe this is a late second instar. October 21, 2025.
a larva of Phoebis agarithe fisheri - Large Orange Sulphur
Two days later, another instar. October 23, 2025.
larva of Phoebis agarithe fisheri - Large Orange Sulphur
I found this one on a different plant in Palm Desert. I believe this is the fourth instar. October 28, 2025.
caterpillar of Phoebis agarithe fisheri - Large Orange Sulphur
Again in Palm Desert, same plant as above, and probably the same larva but closer to being finished. The blue-green coloration above the stripe is typical of the mature caterpillars. October 30, 2025.
Original description of Phoebis agarithe fisheri - Large Orange Sulphur
Henry Edwards described this butterfly in 1883 in volume 3 of the journal Papilio.

©Dennis Walker