California State Insect
California Dogface Butterfly (common name) Zerene eurydice (scientific name) Overview The California dogface butterfly was designated the official state insect in 1972. The butterfly is found only in California, from the foothills of the Sierra Nevada to the Coast Ranges and from Sonoma south to San Diego. The male has a yellow silhouette of a dog's head on its wings, which are an iridescent bluish-black, orange, and sulfur-yellow in color. The female is usually entirely yellow with a black spot on the upper wings. The typical forewing length is between 22–31 mm. In the Santa Ana Mountains of Southern California, adult dogface butterflies can often be seen nectaring at roadside thistles. California was the first state to choose a state insect –and thus, to choose a butterfly– though most of the other states have now followed, and many even have both a state insect and state butterfly. Close-up STATUS Official PHYSICAL DETAILS Forewing span: 2–2.5 in (5.1–6.3 cm) Total Length: 1 5/8 in (4.13 cm) to 2 1/2 in (6.35 cm) Larvae: green with orange-edged white lines along the sides HABITAT The Dogface Butterfly can be found in mountains and foothills, open oak slopes, and Douglas fir clearings. Range: California (San Diego to Sonoma County), Baja California Flight period: Two flights from April–May and July–August Conservation status: Threatened BEHAVIOR The dogface butterfly is fast flying and difficult to catch and photograph with wings extended, unless it is feeding. DIET Adults: Flower nectar (thistles, California buckeye, tall blue verbena) Larvae: False indigo (Amorpha Californica) TRIVIA Adult dogface butterflies are said to be especially fond of purple flowers, and can often be seen nectaring at roadside thistles. While California officially selected the dogface butterfly as the official state insect in 1972, the idea dates back far earlier. In the 1920s, members of the Lorquin Entomological Society of Los Angeles initiated a search to find an official state butterfly. They narrowed the possibilities to three choices, but eventually the dogface won out, likely because it was the only nominated species whose range was limited to California. The larvae (caterpillars) of California dogface butterflies subsist solely on the California false indigo plant, a thornless shrub with leaves made up of spiny, oval-shaped leaflets each tipped with a resin gland. Each flower of the false indigo features only a single purple petal but ten protruding stamens, a fact responsible for the name of its genus, Amorpha, which is Greek for "deformed."
	Click to enlarge an image Male California Dogface Butterfly Female California Dogface Butterfly Side View of California Dogface Butterfly Butterfly Eggs
	CLASSIFICATION
	Kingdom:	Animalia
	Phylum:	Arthropoda
	Class:	Insecta
	Order:	Lepidoptera
	Family:	Pieridae
	Subfamily:	Coliadinae
	Tribe:	Coliadini
	Genus:	Zerene
	Species:	Z. eurydice
	Data Source: California State Library Author: World Trade Press