The California Dog-face Butterfly can be identified by the shape of the fore wing. Unlike the alfalfa butterfly, whose fore wing is rounded, the California Dog-face has a fore wing that comes to a point. The female is quite a bit larger than the male. The male has two dots on the underside if the hind wing and one on the underside of the fore wing. The female has a spot on the underside of the fore wing. On the topside of the wings of the male, there is a yellow pattern in the shape of a dog's face in a black background.