They are often called clouded yellows in the Palearctic and sulphurs (a name also used for other coliadine genera) in North America.

[5] most are thus beneficial by keeping weeds at bay, some occasionally become nuisance pests on crops like alfalfa.

[8] Most if not all species of this genus, as usual for Coliadinae, do not sequester toxins or other noxious compounds from their food plants.

[9] Notable lepidopterologists who did many studies on this genus included Julius Röber, J. Malcolm Fawcett, George B. Johnson and Henry Rowland-Brown.

Hybridization runs rampant in these polytypic and clinal[10] butterflies, confounding molecular phylogenetics studies.

In general, cladistic analyses of only one type of data (particularly mtDNA sequences) cannot be considered reliable.

When they reach a temperature outside of the flight activity zone, Colias will find a shaded area under plants in order to cool down.

Their uppersides feature black borders (usually solid in males, often with pale spots in females).