Olympia Marble

euchloe olympia

The Olympia Marble (Euchloe olympia) is a delicate and captivating spring butterfly belonging to the Pieridae family of whites and sulfurs. Native to North America, this species is highly anticipated by butterfly enthusiasts as one of the first true indicators of spring, emerging in early sunshine when ambient temperatures are still crisp. It is a highly specialized butterfly, typically forming small, localized populations that are strictly restricted to high-quality, undisturbed habitats such as rocky glades, shale barrens, and sandy lake dunes where its wild mustard host plants thrive. Its rapid, low-to-the-ground flight makes it appear like a fleeting, white phantom dancing through open fields.

生息地: Found in dry, open habitats such as limestone glades, shale barrens, sandy dunes, and rocky woodlands where wild crucifers grow.

外見

The Olympia Marble is a small butterfly with a wingspan of 3 to 5 centimeters. The upper surface of its wings is chalky white, featuring a dark, marbled grey pattern at the forewing tips and a narrow, black discal bar. Its most identifying characteristic is found on the underside of the hindwings, which display an intricate, marbled pattern of greenish-grey to olive-yellow veins against a white background, highlighted by a subtle but beautiful rosy-pink flush that is most vivid in freshly emerged adults.

界Animalia門Arthropoda綱Insecta目Lepidoptera科Pieridae属Euchloe

Olympia Marble

カテゴリ

昆虫

レア度

Common

危険度

1/5 · 非常に低い

スナップ

最初にスナップしよう！

おもしろい事実

Olympia Marble caterpillars can be cannibalistic; if multiple eggs hatch on the same small host plant, the larger caterpillar may consume the unhatched eggs or smaller larvae to eliminate competition.

The distinctive rosy-pink coloration on the underside of their wings is at its brightest immediately after they emerge from the chrysalis and slowly fades to white as they age.

Unlike many butterfly species that have multiple broods throughout the summer, the Olympia Marble is strictly univoltine, meaning it produces only one generation per year, flying for just a few weeks in spring.

特殊能力

This species can spend up to ten months of the year inside its chrysalis, safely waiting out summer heat and freezing winter temperatures to emerge precisely when spring host plants begin to bloom.

The delicate pink and greenish-yellow marbling on the wing undersides perfectly mimics the developing buds of host rockcresses, rendering the butterfly invisible when resting.

It flies extremely low to the ground, allowing it to navigate and forage effectively in windy, exposed barrens and dune environments where higher-flying insects struggle.

サイズと詳細

長さ: 2-3 cm
翼開長: 3-5 cm
体重: 0.0001-0.0003 kg
寿命: 1 年
Top Speed: 12 km/h
一度の産卵数: 30-80
抱卵期間: 4-8 日

食性と食事

Caterpillars feed exclusively on the leaves, buds, and young seedpods of mustard family plants, while adult butterflies feed on nectar from early spring wildflowers.

年齢による違い: Larvae are specialist herbivores restricted to plants in the Brassicaceae family, whereas adults are generalist nectar-drinkers that visit various early-season flowers.

主な食物

Lyreleaf Sandcress (Arabis lyrata)
Smooth Rockcress (Boechera laevigata)
Dandelion nectar
Wild mustard nectar

採餌方法

Foraging

生態系とのつながり

host plant

Lyreleaf Sandcress

Arabis lyrata

The caterpillar of the Olympia Marble feeds on the flowers, leaves, and seedpods of this native rockcress.

eaten by

Goldenrod Crab Spider

Misumena vatia

This predatory crab spider hides inside spring flowers to ambush and feed on visiting adult Olympia Marbles.

特徴

このオブジェクトにはまだ特徴バッジが割り当てられていません。

別名

まだ別名はありません。

コレクション

テーマが追加されると、このオブジェクトのコレクションがここに表示されます。

安全性

危険度

1/5 · 非常に低い

まだ特別な安全上の注意はありません。

よくある質問

Olympia Marbleを見分けるには？

Olympia Marbleを識別する最も簡単な方法は、Snappit自然識別アプリを使用することです。

Olympia Marbleの長さは何ですか？

2-3 cm

Olympia Marbleの翼開長は何ですか？

3-5 cm

Olympia Marbleの体重は何ですか？

0.0001-0.0003 kg

Olympia Marbleの寿命は何ですか？

1 年

Olympia Marbleのtop Speedは何ですか？

12 km/h

Olympia Marbleは何を食べますか？

Caterpillars feed exclusively on the leaves, buds, and young seedpods of mustard family plants, while adult butterflies feed on nectar from early spring wildflowers.

Olympia Marbleは通常どこに生息していますか？

Found in dry, open habitats such as limestone glades, shale barrens, sandy dunes, and rocky woodlands where wild crucifers grow.