What is the scientific name for a cabbage white butterfly?

Pieris rapae
Cabbage white / Scientific name

Why are they called cabbage butterflies?

Cabbage white butterflies (Pieris rapae) get their name from the plants that they are typically found around – cabbage plants – and other members of the mustard family, including mustard, broccoli, and cauliflower. These are the host plants for cabbage butterfly caterpillars.

How do you identify a white cabbage butterfly?

The Cabbage White is small to medium-sized, with a wingspan of about 1¼ to 1⅞ inches. The upper side of the wings are white or pale yellowish white, with a charcoal to black patch on the fore wing. The female has two submarginal black spots on the upper side of its forewing; the male has one.

What is the difference between a cabbage butterfly and a cabbage moth?

As many gardeners know all too well, the cabbage butterfly (latin name Pieris rapae) is a small white butterfly with black spots. Often called a cabbage moth, the female lays her eggs on plants in the cabbage/mustard (“Brassica”) family.

What color is a cabbage butterfly?

white
These medium-sized (2” wingspan) white or yellow butterflies may be monochromatic or they may add black wing tips and some spots. Cabbage butterflies are white and Sulphurs are yellow—except when they’re not.

Where do cabbage butterflies live?

Cabbage white butterflies are native to Eurasia. They have been introduced to southern Canada and most of the U.S. and are common in most open areas, like road sides and gardens.

What do cabbage butterflies look like?

They are green with small yellow lines and appear velvety. Larvae of the large white feed in groups and are yellowy-green and speckled with black. They also have a yellow line down their backs. The pupae of cabbage white butterflies are often found under windowsills, shed roofs and other sheltered locations.

What do cabbage butterflies eat?

Cabbage white caterpillars eat plants in the cabbage and mustard families (such as cabbage, kale, bok choy, turnips, radishes, horseradish and broccoli), so they are widespread in farmlands and suburban gardens.

What can I use for cabbage butterflies?

Cabbage White Butterfly; Imported Cabbageworm (Pieris rapae)

It is a minor pest in the home garden and is easily controlled by an application of products containing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). In the home garden, if you harvest a head of broccoli with a worm in it, you simply pick out the worm.

Where did the cabbage white butterfly originated?

eastern Europe
The researchers found that the small cabbage white butterfly likely originated in eastern Europe and then spread into Asia and Siberia when trade was increasing along the Silk Road. The researchers also found that, as expected, Europe was responsible for the introduction of the small cabbage white to North America.

Is a cabbage white a butterfly or moth?

It’s not correctly called a cabbage white, but because its favourite host plant for laying eggs are cabbages and because the adults are white, it has acquired this name. Cabbage white butterflies are still butterflies and great garden pollinators.

Is there such thing as a cabbage butterfly?

Large Cabbage White Butterfly/ pieris brassicae

The Large Cabbage White butterfly is similar in appearance to the Small Cabbage White – white with a pale green tinge on the underside of their wings and grey-black spots on the upper wings. The wingspan of this species is larger, up to approximately 5.5cm.

How long do cabbage butterflies live?

The lifespan of cabbage white butterflies depends on the weather. A butterfly will usually live for three to six weeks which is roughly around 21 to 42 days. Only three weeks are spent as an adult butterfly. In the Southern Hemisphere, up to six generations of cabbage white butterflies can be seen in a single year.

What is the difference between a moth and a butterfly?

Butterflies tend to fold their wings vertically up over their backs. Moths tend to hold their wings in a tent-like fashion that hides the abdomen. Butterflies are typically larger and have more colorful patterns on their wings. Moths are typically smaller with drab-colored wings.

Are cabbage butterflies pollinators?

Adult cabbage white butterflies pollinate plants as they feed on nectar from many flowers, including dandelions, red clover, asters, mint and strawberries.

What kind of butterfly is white?

white butterfly, (subfamily Pierinae), any of a group of butterflies in the family Pieridae (order Lepidoptera) that are named for their white wings with black marginal markings. The family Pieridae also includes the orange-tip and sulfur butterflies and consists of approximately 1,100 species.

What are the 3 stages of a butterfly?

There are four stages in the metamorphosis of butterflies and moths: egg, larva, pupa, and adult.
  • Egg. Eggs are laid on plants by the adult female butterfly. …
  • Caterpillar: The Feeding Stage. The next stage is the larva. …
  • Pupa: The Transition Stage. …
  • Adult: The Reproductive Stage.

What do butterflies eat?

nectar
Because of their straw-like mouthparts, butterflies are mainly restricted to a liquid diet. Butterflies use their proboscis to drink sweet nectar from flowers. Nectar sometimes resides deep within a flower and the proboscis allows the butterfly to reach this sugary treat.