Cabbage White Caterpillar Identification Guide
Spot the velvety, solid-green cabbage white caterpillar often found blending in on garden brassica leaves.
Read the full Cabbage White Caterpillar encyclopedia entry →
Key Visual Features
- Smooth to slightly velvety body in a uniform solid green color that closely matches host leaf shades
- A faint, narrow yellow stripe often runs down the center of the back, though it can be subtle and hard to see
- Body is covered in very short, fine hairs that give a soft, slightly fuzzy texture rather than a truly smooth or truly bristly feel
- Grows to roughly 1 to 1.25 inches long at full size
- Cylindrical shape that tapers gently at both the head and rear ends
- Moves with a normal, smooth rippling crawl using a full set of prolegs, not a looping gait
Where and When You'd See Them
- Found on cabbage, broccoli, kale, and other brassica family plants, usually resting along the leaf veins or on the underside of leaves
- Common from spring through fall, with several generations possible depending on climate
- Often found singly or a few at a time on the same plant rather than in large groups
- Present in home gardens, farm fields, and anywhere brassica crops are grown
Similar-Looking Bugs
- Cabbage loopers share the same host plants but have pale stripes running the length of the body and move with a distinctive looping crawl, while cabbage white caterpillars crawl smoothly and lack strong striping.
- Diamondback moth larvae are much smaller, thinner, and more active, wriggling rapidly and sometimes dropping on a silk thread when disturbed.
- Imported cabbageworm is essentially another name applied to this same caterpillar type, so any differences are regional naming rather than a truly distinct look.
- Armyworms have more visible longitudinal stripes and a heavier, less uniformly green body compared to the cabbage white caterpillar's plain green coloring.
Quick ID Checklist
- Uniform solid green, velvety-textured body
- Faint yellow stripe down the center of the back
- Full set of prolegs and a smooth, rippling crawl (no looping)
- Found on cabbage, broccoli, and kale leaves
- About 1 to 1.25 inches long at full size
Frequently asked questions
How can I tell a cabbage white caterpillar from a cabbage looper?
The cabbage white caterpillar is a uniform solid green with a faint central yellow stripe and crawls smoothly, while the cabbage looper has more visible pale side stripes and moves with an obvious arching, looping crawl.
What texture does the cabbage white caterpillar's body have?
It has a soft, slightly velvety feel from very short fine hairs covering the body, rather than being perfectly smooth or noticeably bristly.
What plants should I check for a cabbage white caterpillar?
Look on brassica family plants such as cabbage, broccoli, and kale, especially along leaf veins and on the undersides of leaves.
Does the cabbage white caterpillar move in a looping motion?
No, it has a full set of prolegs along its body and crawls with a normal smooth, rippling motion rather than the arching loop seen in loopers and inchworms.
Cabbage White Caterpillar identified by the community
Recent Cabbage White Caterpillar finds identified with Bug Identifier.
