Identifying features
Wingspan 40–56 mm. The wings are white to pale yellow on the upper side, with a black wingtip, a small black spot on the upper edge of the hindwing, and 1–2 round black spots just outside the center of the forewing. The hindwings are more yellowish than the forewings. The female is usually more yellowish with stronger black markings.
Similar species
The species is very similar to cabbage butterfly and green-veined white. It is smaller than cabbage butterfly and lacks green-veined white's broad green-black markings along the veins on the underside of the hindwing.
Distribution
Small white has its northern limit for annual reproduction in the southern parts of Northern Europe: specifically, southern Denmark, Skåne, and the southern coast of Sweden are definitively within the annual reproduction area. During favourable periods, the reproduction area can extend to approximately 62° N.
Biology
The species’ way of life is, in every respect, similar to that of cabbage butterfly. Locally bred butterflies are usually mixed with immigrated butterflies from southern areas. Like with cabbage butterfly, the species primarily reproduces during warm summers in central Sweden, and less frequently further north.