Sara Orangetip (Anthocharis Sara) is a small butterfly, with a wingspan of 1 to 1.5 inches. In our local area, it can be seen from late February to early June. Numbers peak in April. Hosts plants are from the Mustard family (Brassicaceae), including Milkmaids (Cardamine californica) and Tower Mustard (Arabis glabra).
In many species, females reject a male’s advances by using a mating refusal posture. They raise their abdomen sharply upwards, sometimes even at a 90-degree angle. Usually, a male is then physically unable to mate with the female.
This butterfly, like all butterflies in the Pieridae family (Whites and Sulphurs), flies endlessly and does not land very often. So it is under-represented in photograph-based databases like iNaturalist. It is seen in very large numbers in East Bay parks in March and April, so the degree of under-representation is more pronounced.
It is endemic to California with populations extending from Baja California into extreme southwest Oregon.
