Sleepy Oranges (Eurema nicippe)
The appearances of Sleepy Oranges vary on a long and fascinating continuum that has a strong relationship to climate, apparently, which in turn is a function of time of year and location. The wing patterns each seem to fall into one of four basic patterns, each one typically appearing at a different time in butterfly season. Calling them "stages" is probably misleading since an individual butterfly's wing patterns don't change over time as far as we know.
I think it would be fun to do a pattern analysis of these wing markings to sort out the influence of these variables and see if any hybridization is going on (which seems at first glance to be minimal). They might be interesting to scientists studying the impact of environment on genetic expression, which this strongly suggests.
2005 was an unusual year for wing patterns: some with patterns most often seen in July showed up during the northeasterly course Hurricane Katrina took after the eye made landfall in Louisiana on August 29. Hurricane Ophelia, which made landfall on the southern North Carolina coast on September 12 and continued up the coast for several days, may have had a similar effect.
Stage I
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| Raulston Arboretum, Raleigh, Wake County, NC, 7/23/04. Classic summer form, with the splash of brown color on a yellow background on a large, rounded hind wing. I will call it Stage I. | Durham, 9/2/05. Stage I. But things happened pretty late this year, and this butterfly may have been brought north by Hurricane Katrina, which hit land at Grand Isle, LA, August 29, 2005. | Duke Gardens, Durham County, 9/17/05. Stage I. Another anomaly, perhaps blown northward by Hurricane Ophelia in mid-September. | Durham, 10/13/05. Stage I. What a surprise this time of year! |
Stage II
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| Duke Gardens, NC, 9/17/05. Early Stage II. | Butterfly Garden, NC Zoo, Asheboro, Randolph County, NC, 11/13/05. This was un unseasonably warm day, with highs in the mid-70s, so maybe it came up from farther south. | Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 9/18/05. Early Stage II. | Duke Forest, Gate 12, Durham, NC, 9/29/05. Stage II. | Foot of Little Scaly Mountain, Macon County, NC, about 3900 feet in elevation, 8/19/04. This butterfly and the one pictured at right are at about the same stage, even though this one showed up over a month earlier in the year at this colder location. Stage II. | Carolina Beach SP, New Hanover County, NC, 9/27/03. Stage II. | Mason Farm Biological Reserve, 9/8/05. This butterfly may be a little foreshortened. Stage II. Oddly enough, lots of Stage I Sleepy Oranges were flying around another part of Mason Farm. |
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| Raulston Arboretum, Wake County, NC, 9/23/05. Stage II. | Alligator River National Wildlife Reserve, Dare County, NC, 9/25/04. The hindwing is somewhat narrower and the middle brown slash is starting to look like a dimple, but the color has not changed. Stage II. Note: Alligator River NWR is at about the same latitude as Raleigh. | Raulston Arboretum, Wake County, NC, 9/23/05. Stage II. | Jordan Lake, Chatham County, NC, 10/16/05. Stage II. | Sleepy Orange, Durham, NC, 11/1/06. A Stage II Sleepy Orange, unusual for so late in the year. | Pettigrew family cemetery, Pettigrew State Park, Washington County, NC, 1/1/06. Stage II. This one was a big surprise! |
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| Sleepy Orange, Raulston Arboretum, Raleigh, Wake County, NC, 9/30/07. Stage II. |
Stage III
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| Durham, 9/15/05. Stage III. | Sleepy Orange, Raulston Arboretum, 9/30/07 | Jordan Lake, Chatham County, NC, 10/16/05. Stage III. | Sleepy Orange, Duke Forest, Gate 12, Durham, NC, 10/14/05. Stage III. | Raulston Arboretum, 9/23/05. Late Stage III. |
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| Duke Forest, Gate 12, Durham, NC, 9/29/05. Stage III. | Duke Forest, Gate 12, Durham, NC, 9/29/05. Stage III. | Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 10/2/05. Stage III. | Raulston Arboretum, Raleigh, NC 9/20/03. This Sleepy Orange and the one pictured at its right are possibly worn but otherwise have the same markings as the Dare County individual pictured at the left. Stage III. | Durham, 10/5/02. Also very worn. Stage III. | Dare County, 10/5/05. Stage III. | Dare County, 10/6/05. Stage III. |
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| Sleepy Orange, Raulston Arboretum, Raleigh, Wake County, NC, 9/30/07, Stage III. |
Stage IV
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| Raulston Arboretum, 9/23/05. The orange hind wing and the complete conversion of the middle brown slash into a dimple heralds late fall. Stage IV. | Carolina Beach SP, New Hanover County, NC, 11/13/03. Stage IV. | Durham, 10/13/05. Stage IV. | Pitt County Arboretum, Greenville, NC, 9/21/08. Stage IV. |
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| Durham, 10/13/05. Stage IV | Lake Crabtree, Wake County, NC, 10/13/05. Stage IV. | Greenville, Pitt County, NC, 2/16/06. Hind wing partially blocked by a bush. | Indian Creek Wildlife Observation Trail, Chatham County, NC, 3/10/06 |
Dorsal Views
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| Pitt County Arboretum, Greenville, NC, 9/21/08 | Mason Farm Biological Reserve, 10/23/05. You can see the dorsal side of a wing. Maybe Stage IV. |