Size:
Wingspan is 1 3/8 - 1 5/8 inches.

Similar Species:
Cabbage White

Habitat:
Wooded slopes in the mountains and cove forests. Mountain forests with rich soils with an a abundance of wildflowers especially toothworts Cardimine spp.

Range/Abundance:
Uncommon in the eastern and central Appalachian mountains of the region during spring.

Flight Period:
Adults fly from mid April until late May in a single brood.

Larval Host Plants:
Toothworts Dentaria diphylla, D. laciniata and, Cardamine spp. and mustards of the Brassicaceae family.

Comments:
This butterfly is declining due to the spread of Garlic Mustard Alliaria officinalis which the adult mistakes for a good host plant lays eggs on it and the larva dies after eating it. Logging and development also are causes for the decline of this butterfly.

These white butterflies are the size of a Cabbage White, yet they are easy to tell apart by the places they usually fly in. They tend to be found moving up and down wooded slopes and rarely can be found outside the woods.

When nectaring you can see that the forewings are completely white from above, Cabbage White has black tips and either one or two black spots in the center of the forewings.

The top photo was taken in Clay Co., NC on May 04, 2003. The second photo is from Macon Co., NC on April 30, 2000. The bottom photo was taken in a cove forest on April 30, 2000 in Buncombe Co., NC.

Start > Species List > Whites