From late summer into the fall, one of the most often seen butterflies in our backyards is the cloudless sulphur.  These medium-sized butterflies are seen drifting across our yards in search of nectar.  As you might imagine, both males and females are flying at this time of the year. Although male and female cloudless sulphurs look very much alike, if you know what to look for, you can easily tell the males from the females. Even though their wings are quite similar, there are several differences between them, here are some of the most easily identifiable ways in which they differ.

       The dorsal side of the male’s wings is unmarked.  The female, however, displays a broken black border along the trailing edge of her hindwings.  In addition, each forewing features a single black spot.

       The ventral sides of the male and female cloudless sulphurs are also quite different.  On the underside of each of the female’s hindwings, you cannot help but notice prominent silvery spots surrounded by a brownish trim.  The spots seen on male are inconspicuous.

       One finale note, the hindwings of the female are more heavily marked than those seen on the male.