Butterfly ID
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Field guide · Sweden
Whites and yellows · Sweden

Cabbage butterfly

Pieris brassicae

Cabbage butterfly is the largest of the white whitesails, and is well-known for its larvae causing significant damage to cultivated cabbage. It migrates annually northward from the southern coastal landscapes.

Status in this countryCommon in SwedenLC (Least concern)
Cabbage butterfly

Flight period

Typically, two generations occur in central Sweden, in Skåne, and Denmark, often three. The first butterflies may appear in mid-May, and the flight season extends to later half of June; thereafter, the species flies continuously from July to October.

Habitat

Throughout the cultivation landscape; the species is never locally restricted and reproduces even in other environments with soil disturbance, for example, gravel beaches, quarries, and tip heaps.

Identifying features

Wingspan 50–64 mm. The wings are white on the upper side, with a black tip on the forewing; the female also has two round black spots just outside the center of the forewing. On the underside, the wings are light yellow to pale yellow. Distinguishing it from small white is that the black spot at the corner of the forewing extends as far down along the outer edge as it does along the front edge, and from green-veined white on the uniformly coloured hindwing underside.

Similar species

From small white, this species is distinguished by the black spot on the forewing which extends as far down along the outer edge as it does along the leading edge, and from green-veined white by the uniformly coloured underside of the hindwing.

Distribution

Large white has been recorded throughout the Nordic region, but its pupa does not survive very harsh winters. The species therefore reproduces annually only in the southern coastal regions. From there it makes more or less annual migrations to 60° N, where a second generation emerges. Its global range extends from North Africa and Europe to Asia.

Biology

The larvae are well-known as serious pests of cultivated types of cabbage, primarily white cabbage, and also on radish, but can also survive on wild plants such as wild cabbage and mustards. The eggs are laid in groups of 50–100. The second generation is often characterised by very warm summers, frequently ten times more numerous than the first generation, and more prone to migration over long distances.