Wingspan 1 1/8 - 2". Wings yellowish
white with black tip on forewings. Female's forewings
have two small black spots. Male's have one black spot.
Range:
Common throughout North America
Habitat:
Open areas
Food:
Adults eat flower nectar. Larvae feed on
cruciferous plants. Cabbage, broccoli, and collards are
crucifers.
Lifecycle:
Complete metamorphosis-4 stages
Winter Survival:
As a pupa
Lifespan:
Unknown
Adaptations:
A flashing light attracts mates at night.
Sleep Cycle:
Diurnal
Niche:
Prey
Role to Humans:
Pest
Population:
Common
Interesting Facts:
The Cabbage butterfly came from Europe
in the 1860's.
Sources:
A Golden Guide to Insects, The Audubon
Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders
Scientific Drawing
Cabbage Butterfly
I woke up one morning and found myself inside my egg.
I was feeling very anxious to go explore the world so
I ate a hole through my egg and wiggled out. I was very
hungry, so I ate the empty egg shells around me. Every
day I would go out and look for food. I was growing very
fast over the weeks and before I knew it, I was a full
grown caterpillar. Being a caterpillar is not all that
easy. Most of the time when I went out looking for food,
a bird or some kind of animal would try to eat me. Thank
goodness I'm a fast crawler. Once I got really fat, I
stopped eating and started to make my chrysalis. I stayed
in there asleep for at least six or seven months, hibernating
over the winter as a pupa. Once winter was over, I emerged
in early spring as a beautiful butterfly. It took about
an hour to pump blood into my wings so that I could fly.
Once I was able to fly, I went out to find some food.
I found a cabbage flower and sat on it ready to drink
nectar when all of a sudden, I spotted the perfect mate
sitting on the flower across from me. I flew over to him
and we began to mate. Once we finished, I flew over to
another cabbage plant to lay my eggs on its leaves where
they would be safe. I was just about to fly away to find
some more food, but what I didn't know was that there
was a spider hiding on the same plant that I was on. Before
I could fly away, the spider snatched me with his fangs
and ate me. Soon my eggs will hatch and I hope that they
will be safe and not have to die a painful death like
I did.
