Small White

Small White
Small White
: Animalia  : Arthropoda  : Insecta  : Lepidoptera  : Rhopalocera  : Pieridae  : Pierini  : Pieris  : P. rapae
Binomial name
Pieris rapae Linnaeus, 1758

The Small White butterfly, Pieris rapae, flies April-May and July-August. Its caterpillars feed on cabbages. It is sometimes known as the Cabbage White for that reason.

Its underwings are yellowish with black speckles, upper are creamy white with dark tips. The female has two dark spots. It is commoner than the Large White.

The scientific name Artogeia rapae has been applied to this species in the past and may still be found, but it is now generally accepted to be a member of the Pieris genus.

The Small White is a native of Europe but has been accidentally introduced into the United States and Australia with cultivated brassica plants and is now a cosmopolitan pest wherever cabbages are grown.