Pieris rapae

Common name: Cabbage White

Meaning of name:

Unknown.

Distribution:

An introduced species, it now occurs over most of Australia.

Description:

This butterfly has a wingspan of up to 44 millimetres.

Notes:

Occurs in a wide variety of natural and modified habitats. The caterpillars are usually feed on Brassica species but also Hirschfeldia incana, Lepidium africanum, Sisymbrium officinale, Cleome, Reseda and Tropaeolum.

We have photographed this butterfly in September, October and November.

References:

The Complete Guide to Butterflies of Australia. Michael F Braby. 2004

Atlas of Living Australia https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/af327fdd-3604-4fde-b911-ba0150407425

Butterfly House http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/pier/rapae.html