Small White

Scientific Name - Pieris rapae

Flight Period - March to October

Overwinters as - Pupa

Habitat - Gardens, parks, grasslands, woodlands etc.

Larval foodplants - Cabbage family, Nasturtiums

Conservation status - Low priority

Northamptonshire distribution - Widespread

Best public sites to see them - Anywhere with suitable habitat

This is a very common butterfly that can be seen anywhere with suitable habitats, especially in gardens and allotments where its main food plants (brassicas) are cultivated. The reputation this butterfly has as a pest species has earned it, along with the Large White, the nickname of the “Cabbage White”. This is a medium-sized bright white butterfly with a black mark on the apex of the forewings that is longer along the costal margin than the outer. The males have one spot in the middle of the forewing, whereas the females have two. Like all butterflies, the Small White is heavily parasitised and one of the chief culprits is the Cotesia sp. of parasitic Wasps, one of which is pictured below. For more information on how to identify the commoner Whites click here.