Howard County Bird Club

A Chapter of the Maryland Ornithological Society

Cabbage White

Place name abbreviations: MPEA – Middle Patuxent Environment Area; PRSP – Patuxent River State Park; PVSP – Patapsco River Valley State Park.

Click on the common name to obtain additional information from the Butterflies and Moths of North America web page and the following common name for additional information from USGS web page. BugGuide is another web resource.

Legend:

Common name [Link is to BAMONA] (wingspan range in inches)
Common name [link is to USGS]
Length (in inches; M and F if different) Flight season
Relative abundance
Habitat. Typically visits (for nectaring). Larval host plants.

 

Cabbage White (1.75–2.25″)
Cabbage White		 Abundant: L-Mar thru Oct Fields & woods trails Canada thistle Crucifers (mustards & cabbage)

MPEA

Male
July 18, 2012
MPEA
Bob Solem

41CabbageWhite_fem4941294368_128f9128ec_b

Male
August 29, 2010
Mount Pleasant
Bonnie Ott

41CabbageWhite-at-sunset_fem

Female
July 2, 2006
Centennial Park
June Tveekrem

41Cabbagewhites_ellicottcity_august5-DSCN5684

Male & Female
August 5, 2012
Ellicott City
Annette Allor

41CabbageWhite-17March2012-WestFriendship

“Puddling”
March 17, 2012
West Friendship Park
Richard Orr

August 12, 2019 Columbia (yard) Sue Muller

Chrysalis
August 12, 2019
Columbia
Sue Muller

Cabbage White has a bouncy flight with big wing beats and all over the place. Checkered White flies close to the ground, usually within 12″, has more rapid shallow wingbeats, and generally flies in a directional flight for some distance before switching direction or dropping to the ground to rest. They are also less glowing white than Cabbage White. (Harry Pavulaan).

Males have one black spot on the forewing, females two UNLESS you have have form immaculata. Cold weather can reduce or eliminate the black markings on male (and sometimes female) cabbage whites.

Individuals seen in each 10-day period to date during the butterfly survey

The phenograms show the maximum number of individual butterflies of this species seen in the first eight years of the Howard County Butterfly Survey. From these graphs, one can see the number of broods of each species, when they are active, and the relative abundance of the species in each brood. The observed early and late dates are shown below The graphs can be used to anticipate the first sighting of a given species in the year and can help with identification.

Early: 2/23/2017 Late: 11/25/2019