The Olympia Marble is a small, delicate butterfly with a wingspan ranging from one and a half to two inches. The upper side of the wings is a soft cream or white, often accented by subtle black markings near the forewing tips. The underside of the hindwings features beautiful yellow-green marbling that helps camouflage the butterfly when it rests among foliage.

 

Licensed under (CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication)

 

Olympia Marble Facts

Butterfly Family: Whites and Sulphurs (Pieridae)

Butterfly Subfamily: Pierinae

Butterfly Wingspan: 1 3/8 – 2 inches

Butterfly Habitat: Various open areas including prairies, foothills, lakeshore dunes, shale barrens, meadows, and open woodlands

 

🪴 Host Plants

These are the plants where females lay eggs and caterpillars feed:

• Rock Cress (Arabis spp.)

• Toothwort (Cardamine spp.)

 

🌸 Nectar Plants

Adult Olympia Marble butterflies feed on nectar from a variety of native flowers:

• Bluets (Houstonia caerulea)

• Chickweed (Stellaria media)

• Golden Ragwort (Packera aurea)

• Jacob’s Ladder (Polemonium reptans)

• Phlox (Phlox paniculata or P. divaricata)

• Rue Anemone (Thalictrum thalictroides)

• Spring Beauties (Claytonia virginica)

• Violets (Viola spp.)

• Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana)