Cabbage White

Pieris rapae is a small-to-medium-sized butterfly species of the whites-and-yellows family Pieridae. It is known in Europe as the small white, in North America and the United Kingdom as the cabbage white or cabbage butterfly, on several continents as the small cabbage white, and in New Zealand as the white butterfly. The butterfly is recognizable by its white color with small black dots on its wings, and it can be distinguished from P. brassicae by the latter's larger size and black band at the tip of the forewings. Scientific Name: Pieris rapae Range: Worldwide — native to Europe, introduced to N. America in 1860s Size: Wingspan 3–6 cm Status: Invasive ID Notes: White with black wing tips. Females have 2 black spots on forewing; males have 1. Behavior / Notes: Caterpillars (cabbageworms) are major pests on Brassicas — cabbage, broccoli, kale. The most common 'white butterfly' in gardens.