The Cabbage White is a small to medium-sized butterfly commonly found throughout the United States and southern Canada. When the wings are open, males display a creamy white upper side with a single black spot on each forewing. Females are slightly more yellowish and feature two black spots near the center of the forewings. With closed wings, the underside shows a pale yellow tint lightly speckled with black.
“Cabbage White Butterfly” by Cam Miller, licensed under (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Cabbage White Facts
Butterfly Family: Whites and Sulphurs (Pieridae)
Butterfly Subfamily: Pierinae
Butterfly Wingspan: 1 3/4 – 2 1/4 inches
Butterfly Habitat: Almost any type of open space including weedy areas, gardens, roadsides, cities, and suburbs
🪴 Host Plants
These are the plants where females lay eggs and caterpillars feed:
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Broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica)
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Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata)
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Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis)
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Kale (Brassica oleracea var. sabellica)
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Mustard Greens (Brassica juncea)
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Radish (Raphanus sativus)
🌸 Nectar Plants
Adult Cabbage White butterflies feed on nectar from a variety of native flowers:
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Asters (Symphyotrichum spp.)
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Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
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Blue Mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum)
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Chicory (Cichorium intybus)
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Clover (Trifolium spp.)
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Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)
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Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
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Eastern Bluestar (Amsonia tabernaemontana)
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Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea)
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Goldenrod (Solidago spp.)
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Lanceleaf Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata)
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New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)
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Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
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Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
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Tall Ironweed (Vernonia gigantea)
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Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
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Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)