Sleepy orange
In warm parts of its range it flies nearly all year, its wings shifting from bright orange in summer to duller brick red in fall.
| Where | Open fields, scrub and road edges |
|---|---|
| Size | 35 to 57 mm wingspan |
| When | March to December |
The sleepy orange is a small, deep orange butterfly with an irregular black border that is widest at the forewing tip. Summer individuals are bright orange, while fall and winter forms turn browner with brick red markings on the underside.
Caterpillars feed on partridge pea and senna, and in warm parts of its range adults can be seen flying nearly year round. It favors open, sunny places such as fields, scrubby ground and road edges.
Traits
Habitat
Grassland
Colour
Orange, Black
Active
Day
To people
Not known to bite or sting; adults gather at mud puddles and visit a wide range of flowers.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
Has clear lemon yellow wings with a solid black border, rather than the deeper orange wings and jagged-edged border of the sleepy orange.
Questions
Is the Sleepy orange dangerous to people?
Not known to bite or sting; adults gather at mud puddles and visit a wide range of flowers.
When can you see the Sleepy orange?
The Sleepy orange can be seen from March to December, by day.
Plate retouched from a museum specimen photo by Davidson College, CC0, GBIF Licence
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Butterflies and moths›Whites and yellows›Eurema
Last updated 2026-09-26. Every entry is checked against published sources.