Anthocharis sara, the Sara orangetip, is one of three species in the Sara orangetip complex. It has a population extending from Baja California into extreme southwest Oregon and another extending from the east slope of the Sierra Nevada into far western Nevada. The common name Pacific orangetip is obsolete since it implies a distribution that includes two separate species.
Taxonomy
Anthocharis sara is part of the Anthocharis sara complex, along with the southwestern orangetip (Anthocharis thoosa) and Julia orangetip (Anthocharis julia). The first brood lives from late January to April and the second brood lives from May to early July. There has been known to occasionally be some overlap between the two generations. In captivity, the pupae of A. sara have been observed staying in diapause for up to three years. The species is found in a variety of habitats including orchards, fields, meadows, and canyons.
Description
The adult female orange-tip has orange tips at the ends of its wings while the male has ultraviolet reflective tips that appear orange to human eyes but appear "bee purple" to the butterfly. Females lay creamy white eggs that turn orange-red a few hours after they are laid. Fifth instar A. sara larvae are a dark green color and have small black pinacula..