Small white facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Small white |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| Order: | |
| Family: | |
| Genus: |
Pieris
|
| Binomial name | |
| Pieris rapae Linnaeus, 1758
|
|
.jpg)
The small white (Pieris rapae) is a common butterfly. It belongs to the 'yellows' and 'whites' family, called Pieridae. People also call it the small cabbage white or just the cabbage white. This is because its caterpillars often eat cabbage plants.
Contents
Where Small Whites Live
This butterfly is very common. You can find it all over Europe, North Africa, and Asia. It has also traveled to other places. These include North America, Australia, and New Zealand. In these new places, it arrived by accident. It has become a pest there. This means it causes problems for farmers. It especially harms cabbages and other plants in the mustard family.
What Small Whites Look Like
The small white butterfly looks a lot like the large white butterfly. But it is, as its name suggests, smaller. The top side of its wings is a creamy white color. The tips of its front wings have black marks. Female small whites also have two black spots. These spots are in the middle of their front wings. The underside of their wings is yellowish. They also have small black speckles.
How Small Whites Behave
The small white is a strong flyer. It can travel long distances. Each year, many small whites fly to Britain from other parts of Europe. This helps increase their numbers there. Like other 'white' butterflies, they hibernate during winter. They do this as a pupa. A pupa is a resting stage before they become an adult butterfly.
Life Cycle
Small white butterflies usually have two main flight periods. The first is from April to May. The second is from July to August.
Eggs
The female butterfly lays her eggs one by one. She places them on the leaves of food plants. Her caterpillars can be a pest for farmers. This is because they eat cultivated cabbages. They also lay eggs on wild plants. These include charlock (Sinapis arvensis) and hedge mustard (Sisybrium officinale). These plants are also part of the cabbage family.
Caterpillars
In the United States, these caterpillars are called "imported cabbage worms." They are green in color. This helps them to be very well camouflaged. This means they blend in with their surroundings. Unlike the caterpillars of the large white butterfly, small white caterpillars do not store mustard oils from their food. This means they are not distasteful to predators. Birds and other animals might find them tasty.
