Sara Orangetip vs Great Helen

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Sara Orangetip Great Helen
Scientific Name Anthocharis sara Papilio iswara
Order Lepidoptera Lepidoptera
Family Pieridae Papilionidae
Size 30-40 mm wingspan 120-150 mm wingspan
Habitat Mountains Rivers & Streams
Diet Nectar Feeders Nectar Feeders
Regions Western North America Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Borneo, Sumatra, Thailand, Myanmar)
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Sara Orangetip

Small white butterfly with vivid orange forewing tips and mottled greenish hindwing undersides. Flies early in spring in western North America.

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Did You Know?

Adults have a single short flight period in spring and are not seen for the rest of the year.

Great Helen

A large, elegant swallowtail with dark velvety black wings bearing a broad white band across the hindwings and blue submarginal spots. The hindwings have distinctive spatulate tails.

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Did You Know?

Males are often seen mud-puddling in large groups along forest streams, sometimes alongside dozens of other swallowtail species.