(Linnaeus, 1758)
Small White
Description:
The Small White is found in any sort of habitat where its larval food plants grow, such as gardens, parks, grasslands, heathland and woodland.
The eggs are laid on the underside of the leaves of a wide variety of crucifers, including cultivated brassicas, and also on Reseda species, such as Wild Mignonette (R. lutea). The caterpillars grow very rapidly, sometimes pupating after two weeks. The chrysalis hangs in a silken girdle, normally on vertical surfaces, and hibernates in this stage. The Small White has several generations a year, depending on the geographical position and altitude of the flight area, and the length of the summer.
In Britain, this butterfly species and the Large White (P. brassicae) are commonly called cabbage whites.
Habitat:
Generalist
Similar species:
Pieris brassicae
Pieris mannii
Pieris ergane
Pieris krueperi