Southern Dogface

The Southern Dogface is a yellow and black butterfly.  The black color is on the topside of the wing outlining what resembles a dog face.  This butterfly sits with its wings closed making it difficult to see the pattern on the topside of the wing.  The only time you see the black is when the butterfly flies.  When the butterfly is back lit, the pattern can show through the closed wings.  The male is a bright yellow and the female is a greenish yellow with duller markings on the topside wings.   One characteristic that helps in identification is the pointed forewing tip.  In the fall season, the Southern Dogface has pink coloration around the wing edges and in other scattered parts of the butterfly.  The females are marked the same as the male except their black color is paler than the males.  Their host plant is Indigo bush, clovers and other legumes.