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.

 

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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)