Cabbage White Butterfly

The cabbage white, Pieris rapae, also called the small white, is a common butterfly in the family Pieridae, recognized by its clean white wings marked with small black spots. Native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa, it has become one of the most widespread butterflies in the world after being introduced to North America in the 19th century and later to other regions.

It belongs to the 'whites and sulphurs' family Pieridae, many of whose caterpillars specialize in feeding on plants in the mustard family (Brassicaceae), including cultivated cabbage, broccoli, and related crops—a habit reflected in its common name. The species is considered one of the most successful and adaptable butterflies in temperate regions.

Because of its abundance and close association with cultivated brassica crops, the cabbage white is frequently the very first butterfly many people learn to recognize, often seen fluttering low over gardens and fields.

• Wings: white to pale cream, with one or two black spots on each forewing (males typically show one spot, females two) and black wingtips.
• Size: wingspan about 1.5–2 inches (4–5 cm), smaller and more delicate-looking than the monarch.
• Flight: fluttery, low, and somewhat erratic flight close to garden vegetation.
• Body: slender, pale, and covered in fine hair-like scales typical of the family.
• Lookalikes: easily confused with other small white butterflies such as the checkered white or various sulphur species, but the combination of small size, black wingtip patch, and low fluttering flight over garden crops is characteristic.

Cabbage whites are found across much of the world, including Europe, Asia, North Africa, and, following introduction, North America, wherever suitable host plants and open sunny areas occur. They are common in gardens, farmland, meadows, roadsides, and vacant urban lots.

They are active during the day throughout the warmer months, from spring through fall in temperate climates, and can produce several broods per year, often being among the first and last butterflies seen each season.

Adult cabbage whites feed on nectar from a wide range of flowering plants, while caterpillars feed primarily on plants in the mustard family, including cultivated brassica crops such as cabbage and broccoli. Females locate host plants largely by scent and taste receptors on their legs.

Adults fly with a characteristically low, fluttering pattern close to vegetation, pausing frequently to feed or lay eggs. The species has few specialized defenses beyond its cryptic pale coloration and rapid, erratic flight to evade predators.

Cabbage whites undergo complete metamorphosis: egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa (chrysalis), and adult. Females lay small, pale yellow, spindle-shaped eggs singly on the leaves of host plants, usually in the mustard family.

The caterpillar that hatches is velvety green with a faint yellow stripe down the back, feeding on host-plant leaves through several instars before forming an angular, camouflaged green or brown chrysalis attached to a stem or nearby surface. In temperate climates the species can produce several generations per year, with the final generation of the season typically overwintering as a chrysalis.