Photo: naba.org
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cabbage white
Pieris rapae
Identification: Wingspan 1 1/4 - 2 inches. The white wings have charcoal gray tips and 1 (male) and 2 (female) black spots in the center of each forewing. Underwings may be yellow or light green.
Garden Habit: The caterpillars are green and well camouflaged. Caterpillars rest on the undersides of the leaves, thus making them less visible to predators. They are not distasteful to predators like birds. Like many other "White" butterflies, they hibernate as a pupa. It is also one of the most cold-hardy of the non-hibernating butterflies, occasionally seen emerging during mid-winter mild spells.
Host Plants: Can be a pest on cultivated cabbages, kale, radish, broccoli, and horseradish. Weedy plants: mustard, peppergrass, winter cress, and other weeds in the mustard family.
Identification: Wingspan 1 1/4 - 2 inches. The white wings have charcoal gray tips and 1 (male) and 2 (female) black spots in the center of each forewing. Underwings may be yellow or light green.
Garden Habit: The caterpillars are green and well camouflaged. Caterpillars rest on the undersides of the leaves, thus making them less visible to predators. They are not distasteful to predators like birds. Like many other "White" butterflies, they hibernate as a pupa. It is also one of the most cold-hardy of the non-hibernating butterflies, occasionally seen emerging during mid-winter mild spells.
Host Plants: Can be a pest on cultivated cabbages, kale, radish, broccoli, and horseradish. Weedy plants: mustard, peppergrass, winter cress, and other weeds in the mustard family.