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)