Cabbage White
(Pieris rapae)
Conservation • Description • Habitat • Ecology • Distribution • Taxonomy
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List
not listed
NatureServe
NNA - Not applicable
SNA - Not applicable
Minnesota
not listed
Description
Cabbage white is an exotic, small to medium-sized butterfly. It is native to Europe and Asia. It was introduced into Quebec in the 1860s. It has since become very common and in some areas abundant across North America. It is a crop pest.
The upperside of the wings are white. There is a black spot in the middle of the forewing and a black or blackish wingtip. There is also a black spot near the middle of the leading margin of the hindwing. The female has an additional black spot on the forewing near the inner margin.
The underside of the forewing is white with one (male) or two (female) black spots and a pale yellow wingtip. The underside of the hindwing is uniformly pale yellowish-green or grayish-green.
Size
Wingspan: 1¾″ to 2¼″
Similar Species
Mustard white (Pieris oleracea) has no black spots in the middle of the forewing. The veins on the underside of the hindwing are highlighted with yellowish-green or grayish-green. It is absent in the southern half of Minnesota.
Habitat
Open or lightly wooded areas; gardens, roadsides, crop lands, urban areas.
Ecology
Season
Three broods. Early May to late September.
Behavior
Life Cycle
Females lay single eggs on the underside of a host leaf. The pupa overwinters as a chrysalis.
Larva Food/Hosts
Plants in the mustard (Brassicaceae) and caper (Capparidaceae) families.
Adult Food
Flower nectar from mustard, dandelion, red clover, aster, and mint.
Distribution
Sources
7, 21, 22, 24, 27, 29, 30, 75, 82, 83.
Biodiversity occurrence data published by: Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas (accessed through the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Portal, bellatlas.umn.edu. Accessed 7/3/2025).
Quinn, Edward. M., and Ron Danielson. April 27, 2009. A Survey of Lepidoptera in Three Priority Areas of the Minnesota State Parks System. https://files.dnr.state.mn.us/eco/nongame/projects/consgrant_reports/2009
/2009_quinn_danielson.pdf.
Occurrence
Common to abundant and widespread; crop pest
Taxonomy
Order
Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily
Papilionoidea (Butterflies)
Family
Pieridae (Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs)
Subfamily
Pierinae (Whites)
Tribe
Pierini
Subtribe
Pierina
Genus
Pieris (Garden Whites)
Subordinate Taxa
Cabbage White (Pieris rapae atomaria)
Cabbage White (Pieris rapae crucivora)
Cabbage White (Pieris rapae eumorpha)
Cabbage White (Pieris rapae leucosoma)
Cabbage White (Pieris rapae mauretanica)
Cabbage White (Pieris rapae napi)
Cabbage White (Pieris rapae novangliae)
Cabbage White (Pieris rapae orientalis)
Cabbage White (Pieris rapae rapae) 
Synonyms
Artogeia rapae
Papilio rapae
Pieris brassciae var. crucivora
Pieris metra
Pieris rapae flavescens
Common Names
Cabbage Butterfly
Cabbage White
Imported Cabbageworm (larva)
Small Cabbage White
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Cabbage White
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Pieris rapae (Cabbage White)
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Cabbage White
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Cabbagewhite Butterfly --Pieris rapae-- Life Cycle
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Cabbage White Butterfly (Pieridae: Pieris rapae) Female on Leaf
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Cabbage White Butterfly
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