Pale Clouded Yellow (Colias hyale (Linnaeus, 1758))
Scientific name: Colias hyale (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name: Pale Clouded Yellow
French name: Soufré
Order: Lepidoptera
Suborder: Rhopalocera
Family: Pieridae
Subfamily: Coliadinae
Wingspan: 42-50 mm.
Biotope: Meadows, steppes, woodland edges, clover fields.
Geographic area: Europe and temperate Asia east to China and Mongolia.
Flight time: April to September.
Number of generations : 2 or 3.
Caterpillar: Totally green with a thin yellow lateral line.
Host plant: Various Fabaceae including Vetches (Vicia sp), Coronilla sp, Lucernes (Medicago sp), Lotus sp, Brooms (Cytisus sp), Clovers (Trifolium sp), etc.
The upper side of the wings is yellow on males and white, or seldom pale yellow, on females.
The upper side of the fore wings shows a large black margin with yellow patches and a black discocellular mark.
The upper side of the hind wings shows a large bright orange discal patch and a thin dark margin.
It is difficult to observe the upper side of wings of the butterflies of this family as they are used to landing with closed wings.
The under side of the hind wings shows a eight-shaped white patch, circled with purple red.
The Pale Clouded Yellow over winters as a small caterpillar.
It is very difficult, in the imago form, to tell the Pale Clouded Yellow apart from the Berger's Clouded Yellow (Colias alfacariensis). Here are some keys (to take with reserve as I do not have that much experience on this subject).
The Berger's Clouded Yellow is a slightly larger size and brighter coloured.
The shape of the outer edge of the fore wing is generally regularly curved near the apex on Berger's Clouded Yellow (Colias alfacariensis) and the edge is rather straight towards the apex on Pale Clouded Yellow (Colias hyale).
You can also use an eventual grey scaling on the under side of the hind wings. It is uniform on the whole wings on Colias alfacariensis and located in the basal area on Colias hyale.

Pale Clouded Yellow (Colias hyale) - Gard, France - August 19th 2008
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Pale Clouded Yellow (Colias hyale)
I am not totally sure of the identification of this species.
I have told it apart as a Pale Clouded Yellow because of the shape of the outer edge of the forewing which is straight up to the apex.


Pale Clouded Yellow (Colias hyale) - Gard, France - August 19th 2008
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Pale Clouded Yellow (Colias hyale)
Same butterfly as above but on a closer view.


Pale Clouded Yellow (Colias hyale) - Ardèche, France - August 20th 2008
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Pale Clouded Yellow (Colias hyale)
Berger's Clouded Yellow or Pale Clouded Yellow? That's the question.

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