Common grass yellow
Common grass yellow caterpillars can be found on dozens of unrelated legume shrubs, letting the butterfly keep breeding through every month of the year across its range.
| Where | Open grass, scrub and gardens |
|---|---|
| Size | 35 to 45 mm wingspan |
| When | January to December |
The Common grass yellow is a small yellow butterfly with a black bordered forewing tip, the border broader and more sharply cut in females than in males. Wet season adults are deeper yellow with heavier black margins, while dry season adults are paler with reduced markings.
Caterpillars feed on a wide range of legume shrubs and trees, and adults stay close to the ground in open grass, scrub, parks and roadside edges, visiting flowers and gathering at damp ground for minerals.
Traits
Habitat
Grassland
Colour
Yellow, Black
Active
Day
To people
Harmless to handle; one of the most frequently seen butterflies on open, disturbed ground.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
The Three-spot grass yellow shows three dark marks inside the forewing cell on the underside, a pattern the Common grass yellow does not share.
Questions
Is the Common grass yellow dangerous to people?
Harmless to handle; one of the most frequently seen butterflies on open, disturbed ground.
When can you see the Common grass yellow?
The Common grass yellow can be seen from January to December, by day.
Plate retouched from a museum specimen photo by Swiss Natural History Collections - SwissNatColl, CC BY 4.0, GBIF Licence
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Butterflies and moths›Whites and yellows›Eurema
Last updated 2026-09-27. Every entry is checked against published sources.