Cabbage White - Alabama Butterfly Atlas

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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.

Distribution and Abundance

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

Sightings in the past 5 years
Sightings in the past 5 - 10 years
Sightings more than 10 years ago

High count(s):

400 - Baldwin - 7/14/2020
121 - Baldwin - 7/7/2020
102 - Baldwin - 12/21/2020

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
1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4
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

Habitat

Almost any sunny area including agricultural fields, meadows, gardens, and yards.

Host Plants

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:

Broccoli (Brassica oleracea ‘Broccoli’)
Cabbage (Brassica oleracea ‘Cabbage’)
Savoy Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. sabauda)
Collards (Brassica oleracea var. viridis)
Kale (Brassica oleracea var. sabellica).

For more information about these plants, please visit the Alabama Plant Atlas using the links above.

Cabbage White (*Pieris rapae*)

County

© Sara Bright

Poorman's Pepperwort/Virginia Peppergrass

Landscaping Ideas

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.

Alabama Butterfly Atlas

Cabbage White Pieris rapae

Distribution and Abundance

Habitat

Host Plants

Landscaping Ideas

Cabbage White (Pieris rapae) Photos

Jan				Feb				Mar				Apr				May				Jun				Jul				Aug				Sep				Oct				Nov				Dec
1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4
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

Jan				Feb				Mar				Apr				May				Jun				Jul				Aug				Sep				Oct				Nov				Dec
1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4
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

Cabbage White Pieris rapae

Distribution and Abundance

Habitat

Host Plants

Landscaping Ideas

Related Links

Cabbage White (Pieris rapae) Photos

Jan				Feb				Mar				Apr				May				Jun				Jul				Aug				Sep				Oct				Nov				Dec
1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4
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