Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Family Pieridae Scientific name Colias hecla | Phylum Arthropoda Order Lepidoptera Tribe Coliadini Rank Species | |
 | ||
Similar Colias tyche, Colias nastes, Colias palaeno, Colias meadii, Colias christina | ||
Colias hecla, the northern clouded yellow or hecla sulphur, is a butterfly in the Pieridae family. In Europe, it is found in the northern part of Norway, Sweden and Finland up to heights of 900 m. It is also found in Greenland, Alaska, the Northwest Territories, Yukon, Quebec, Labrador, Manitoba, the Chukot region, eastern Chukotka, and the Far East.
The wingspan is 36–46 mm. The butterfly flies in June to August depending on the location.
The larvae feed on Astragalus species, including Astragalus frigidus and Astragalus alpinus as well as Trifolium repens. They are also known to feed on Salix arctica where Astragalus are absent.
Subspecies
C. h. sulitelma is sometimes treated as a separate species Colias sulitelma. If that is the case, C. h. zamolodchikovi is considered a subspecies of Colias sulitelma, named Colias sulitelma zamolodchikovi.
Furthermore, Colias canadensis is sometimes treated as a subspecies of Colias hecla, named C. h. canadensis.