Finding Utah Butterflies-->Cabbage White (Pieris rapae)

Overview:

The Cabbage White butterfly is the most common butterfly in our neighborhoods and parks. It has several generations per year and is usually the first butterfly seen as early as mid-March and one of the last to be seen in October. It also has a strong flight from May through July. Females of this butterfly lay eggs on weedy mustards like white top, black mustard, tumble mustard, and other weedy crucifers. Butterflies of this species can actually explode in old fields and disturbed areas where these weeds can grown much more commonly than your yard. This butterfly spends the winter as a chrysalis.

Specific Localities:

http://www.utahlepsociety.org/slcintlairport.html

Flight Periods:

March through October. 

Raising Caterpillars Resources:

Cabbage White caterpillars can be found on the underside of white top (Cardaria draba). This weedy mustard only flowers in the spring where lower (basal) leaves can thrive until hard freeze. Caterpillars burrow a whole on the underside of the leaves and rest underneath. Caterpillars are easier to find in vacant lots and weedy areas than in your yard because of common yard spiders and earwings.

pdf: http://utahbugclub.org/layout/pdf/Raising_P_rapae.pdf 
Raising Butterflies: http://www.raisingbutterflies.org/cabbage-white/  

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