WHITE BUTTERFLY

any of several members of the cosmopolitan insect family Pieridae (order Lepidoptera), which also includes the sulfur and orange-tip butterflies and contains more than 1,000 species. Adult white butterflies have a wingspan of 37 to 63 mm (1.5 to 2.5 inches) and have white wings with black marginal markings. Sexual seasonal dimorphism in pattern and colour occur in many species. Many of the green, slender larvae are pests. The majority are covered with a short down, or pile. The pupae are attached to a twig by a posterior spine and held secure by a girdle of silk. One of the most common whites in North America is the European cabbage butterfly (Pieris rapae), whose larva is an important economic pest, attacking cabbage and related plants. It was introduced into North America in about 1860.