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:

• Broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica)

• Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata)

• Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis)

• Kale (Brassica oleracea var. sabellica)

• Mustard Greens (Brassica juncea)

• Radish (Raphanus sativus)

 

🌸 Nectar Plants

Adult Cabbage White butterflies feed on nectar from a variety of native flowers:

• Asters (Symphyotrichum spp.)

• Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)

• Blue Mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum)

• Chicory (Cichorium intybus)

• Clover (Trifolium spp.)

• Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)

• Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)

• Eastern Bluestar (Amsonia tabernaemontana)

• Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea)

• Goldenrod (Solidago spp.)

• Lanceleaf Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata)

• New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)

• Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

• Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

• Tall Ironweed (Vernonia gigantea)

• Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)

• Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)