Butterfly ID
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Field guide · Sweden
Whites and yellows · Sweden

Cryptic wood white

Leptidea juvernica

Cryptic wood white is a small white butterfly with drop-shaped wings that is almost identical to Wood White. The species are distinguished in the field primarily by their habitat and flight time. It has a slightly more easterly distribution in Scandinavia.

Status in this countryLeast concern in SwedenLC (Least concern)
Cryptic wood white
Photo: Alastair Rae · CC BY-SA 2.0

Flight period

Two generations during warm and early summers: the first hatches 1–2 weeks before Wood White, in early May, and flies from the middle of June; the second appears from late July to the middle of August.

Habitat

Open meadow habitats in forested areas, on pasture and mowing lands within woodlands, typically in connection with forest edges, often on sandy or clay soils with a dense, high-growing vegetation layer.

Identifying features

Wingspan 36–44 mm. The species is almost identical to Wood White. The males of the first generation of Cryptic wood white have more black pigment in the apical spot and a sharper, more defined apical spot, often with dark wing scales forming clear lines on the Cu1 and Cu2 wing ribs. The males of the second generation of both species are barely distinguishable.

Similar species

The species is almost identical to Wood White, and the two species are so similar that it is almost impossible to distinguish individual specimens in the field. However, the flight period and host plants differ, so populations can be quite reliably distinguished based on their habitat.

Distribution

Cryptic wood white has a slightly more eastern distribution in Scandinavia than Wood White, and is, for example, the more common species in eastern Svealand. Sweden has been found in Sweden from Småland, Västergötland, and Bohuslän, northwards to Västerbotten and the Åsele Lappmark, including Öland and Gotland.

Biology

The eggs are laid scattered on host plants, among pea plants. The species prefers open meadow habitats, while Wood White is more closely associated with forest glades.