Small White
Pieris rapae
Print fact sheet (PDF)
The other cabbage white — smaller, with greyer wingtips and solitary green caterpillars.
A medium-sized white butterfly with grey-black wingtips that do not extend far down the wing edge, and a creamy-yellow underside. It is smaller and less boldly marked than the large white, and unlike the green-veined white has no dark scaling along the veins. Small whites are abundant in gardens, allotments and open ground throughout the Dumfries area.
Behaviour
Eggs are laid singly rather than in batches, and the caterpillar is plain green with a faint yellow line, feeding alone and burrowing into the heart of a cabbage rather than grazing the outer leaves — so the damage is less visible but often worse. Adults nectar readily on buddleia, marjoram and thistles, and are strong, purposeful fliers that cover a lot of ground.
When to see it
Quick facts
- Family
- Whites and yellows (Pieridae)
- Wingspan
- 4.5–5.5 cm
- Status
- Native; abundant
Photo by Sarefo, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons