The small white cabbage butterfly (Pieris rapae) is a small- to medium-sized butterfly species of the whites-and-yellows family Pieridae. It is also known as the small cabbage white and in New Zealand, simply as white butterfly. The names "cabbage butterfly" and "cabbage white" can also refer to the large white.
The butterfly can be distinguished by the white colour with small black dots on its wings. It is distinguished from the large white, by its smaller size and lack of the black band at the tip of their forewings. It is widespread and populations are found across Europe, North Africa, Asia, and Great Britain. It has also been accidentally introduced to North America, Australia and New Zealand.
The caterpillar of this species is seen as a pest for commercial agriculture. Often referred to as the "imported cabbageworm" they are a serious pest to cabbage and other mustard family crops.
This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.
Hello,
ReplyDeleteIt is a pretty photo, I love the flowers and the white cabbage butterfly. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a happy weekend! PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.
The white looks stunning, but not very good at avoiding predators via camouflage.
ReplyDeleteThat's a lovely shot!
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