Pieris rapae
Copyright, Edgar P. Spalding
The Cabbage White is our
most common butterfly. They are mostly white with black
markings and spots on the top of their wings. Underneath,
the wings are yellowish-green. Cabbage Whites are about
two inches wide when their wings are spread. Males and females can be
told apart by their wing spots. Males only have one spot on
each wing, while females have two. Cabbage Whites can be
seen just about anywhere there are open spaces, including
fields,
gardens, roadsides, waste places, parks, and
cities. Copyright 2002, Will
Cook Copyright, Dr. Ahmet
Baytas Copyright, Dr. Ahmet
Baytas Cabbage Whites are one of
the first butterflies to be seen in the Spring, and one of
the last to be seen in the Fall. They fly from late February
to mid-November. After mating, female
Cabbage Whites lay single eggs on the undersides of
host
plants. Host plants are plants that the caterpillars
need to eat. Cabbage White caterpillars eat plants from the
Mustard family which includes cabbages and
radishes. Caterpillars begin eating
as soon as they hatch. They are green with a light yellow
stripe. They grow up to 3/4 inch. Krischan Photography,
http://www.krischanphoto.com
Photo: M.
Keller R. Grund Young Cabbage White
caterpillars feed on the undersides of leaves. Older
caterpillars feed on the upper side and rest along leaf
veins. Caterpillars will molt
(shed their skins) five times before they turn into a
chrysalis.
Cabbage White chrysalids
are green or brown with points. The chrsyalids
hibernate
over the Winter and hatch into adult
butterflies in the Spring. Copyright, Jay Cossey,
http://www.images.on.ca/JayC/
Copyright 2002, Will Cook
