Butterfly: Wingspan: 1¼ - 1¾ inches (3.2 - 4.8 cm) UPPER SURFACE (dorsal) Predominantly white with charcoal forewing tips. One 9male) or two (female) charcoal black forewing spots. Seasonally dimorphic. Spring and late fall individuals are typically smaller, less yellow, and black markings are reduced.
ID Tip: One spot (male) or two black spots (female) on upper surface (dorsal) forewing. Ventral surfaces may be creamy or white.
Egg: Initially white, turning yellow orange; spindle shaped.
Caterpillar: Green; yellow line runs length of body; covered with fine white hairs that create a velvety look.
Chrysalis: Green or speckled tan, depending on season and structure to which it attaches. Point on head; pointed projections along sides. The overwintering stage.
European Cabbage Whites arrived in Toronto around 1860, found North America to their liking and made themselves permanent Alabama residents by 1881. Today they are common butterflies, fluttering through spring, summer, and fall.
Cabbage Whites are often among the first butterflies to emerge in spring. Males typically search for mates by patrolling the same small areas day after day. They also gather on wet roads or muddy areas to take moisture and minerals. Females lay eggs on almost any member of the Mustard family but cultivated plants like cabbage, mustard, and broccoli are favored. Young caterpillars initiallly eat holes in the leaves, but eventully skeletonize them. Body hairs aid in protection by secreting droplets of special chemicals called mayolenes that deter ant attacks. Broods are continuous as long as host plants are available. Their cue to overwinter is determined by temperature rather than day length.
Cabbage Whites range throughout most of the continental United States and probably occur in every Alabama county, flourishing wherever plants in the mustard family grow.
A dot on the county map indicates that there is at least one documented record of the species within that county. In some cases, a species may be common throughout the county, in others it may be found in only a specific habitat. The High Count information shows the highest numbers recorded for this species as well as when and where they occurred.
The sightings bar graphs depict the timing of flight(s) within each of three geographic regions. Place your cursor on a bar within the graph to see the number of individuals recorded during that period.
The abundance calendar displays the total number of individuals recorded within each week of the month. Both the graphs and the calendar are on based data collection that began in 2000.
The records analyzed here are only a beginning. As more data is collected, these maps and graphs will paint a more accurate picture of distribution and abundance in Alabama. Submit your sightings to albutterflyatlas@gmail.com.
Sightings in the following counties: Autauga, Baldwin, Bibb, Blount, Butler, Calhoun, Cherokee, Chilton, Clarke, Clay, Cleburne, Coffee, Colbert, Covington, Cullman, Dallas, DeKalb, Elmore, Escambia, Etowah, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Jackson, Jefferson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lee, Limestone, Macon, Madison, Marengo, Marion, Marshall, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery, Perry, Pike, Randolph, Shelby, St. Clair, Sumter, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker, Washington, Wilcox
High count(s):
View county names by moving the mouse over a county or view a map with county names
Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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16 | 4 | 22 | 3 | 16 | 4 | 19 | 29 | 52 | 85 | 54 | 91 | 43 | 28 | 45 | 93 | 192 | 100 | 103 | 253 | 88 | 122 | 79 | 251 | 308 | 632 | 117 | 123 | 23 | 54 | 21 | 60 | 31 | 25 | 54 | 50 | 42 | 12 | 14 | 29 | 29 | 33 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 22 | 115 | 76 |
Almost any sunny area including agricultural fields, meadows, gardens, and yards.
Many members of the Mustard family (Brassicaceae), generally cultivated plants, are reported throughout Cabbage White's range.
In addition to the plants highlighted in blue below, these common vegetables have also been documented as Cabbage White hosts in Alabama:
For more information about these plants, please visit the Alabama Plant Atlas using the links above.
Cabbage Whites frequently visit vegetable gardens if they include members of the mustard family such as cabbage, broccoli, or mustard greens. To keep them from decimating the plants you plan for table use, drape fine mesh netting over the area to prevent females from accessing the leaves. Cabbage Whites reportedly avoid kale and purple cabbage, but they will eat the ornamental cabbages that are often included in fall planters.
Including a variety of nectar-rich flowers such as Black Eyed Susans (Rudbeckia spp.), Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), asters (Symphyotrichum spp.), ironweeds (Vernonia spp.), Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), and Mistflower/Wild Ageratum (Conoclinium coelestinum) in your landscape will provide food for adult Cabbage Whites and many other butterflies throughout the growing season.
Click on individual photos to view a larger version that includes photo credits, county, and date.
Photos with comments are indicated by a small, tan dot on the bottom right.