Who am I? ²

~barks~
Oh! Just kidding, for we do not bark! We are Zerene cesonia, the Southern dogface butterfly. Of course, the scientists have heated debates on our scientific name and sometimes, instead of Zerene, we are placed in the genus Colias. We rarely open our wings when resting, so if you catch a glimpse at the "dog face" you are very lucky! The black dot on the upperside of our forewing is supposed to be an eye, and the black border helps form a side profile of the dog's face or rubber ducky depending on what you see. Isn't that neat?

Quick facts ³

Common name: Southern dogface

Scientific name:Zerene cesonia (Stoll 1790)

Family: Pieridae - Coliadinae

Characteristics:

• Wingspan: 2 1/8 - 3 inches (5.4 - 7.6 cm)
• Forewing has a distinct angled tip
• Upperside: yellow; forewing has a "dogface", where the black spot is an "eye", and the edging is black
• Underside: mostly yellow, with forewing having a white dot with dark lining
• Can be seasonally dimorphic, winter form has rose-pink hues

Host plant: A few host plants include alfalfa (Medicago sativa), prairie clover (Pentalostemon), false indigo (Amorpha fruticosa), soy bean (Glycine max), prarie clover (Dalea) species, and clover (Trifolium) species

Nectar plant: Variety of flowers including alfalfa, coreopsis, houstonia, and verbena

Distribution: Typically from S United States to South America

Flight times: More likely to be seen in warmer areas year-round. Cooler, northern regions will have one generation or might not reproduce there at all

Where can you find me on campus? ²

South of the Fluid Dynamics research laboratory, there are a few Silver Prairie clover bushes that a Southern Dogface may be found at. Previous observations on campus are on open grass or on a bush near the Main Library as the butterflies are cruising through. There is no record of other preferred host or nectar plants for the Southern Dogface on the Campus Arboretum site, but that may change in the future. You might also see them nectaring on flowers in Krutch Gardens and maybe watching the frisbee games. It is also possible to find these butterflies resting at various locations around campus, so it is best to keep an eye out in the grass areas or where there is water.

References ³

Alabama Butterfly Atlas https://alabama.butterflyatlas.usf.edu/species/details/155/southern-dogface

Butterflies and Moths of North America - Metalmark Web and Data, https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Zerene-cesonia

Bug Guide – Iowa State University, https://bugguide.net/node/view/15740

Discover Life, https://www.discoverlife.org/

Encyclopedia of Life, https://eol.org/

iNaturalist, https://www.inaturalist.org/home

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Maxine Cruz, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Maxine Cruz
2. Adapted by Katy Prudic from a work by (c) Maxine Cruz, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
3. (c) Maxine Cruz, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Animal Diversity Web
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• BugGuide
• Butterflies and Moths of North America
• CalPhotos
• CUIC Insect Images
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
• Maryland Biodiversity Project
• Maryland Moths
• Moth Photographers Group
• Moths of North Carolina
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• Pacific Northwest Moths

iNat Map