Finding Utah Butterflies-->Checkered White (Pontia protodice)

Overview:

The Checkered White butterfly tends to fly around neighborhoods and parks in much lower numbers and with much less consistency than the Cabbage White. It can, however, in favorable years, be a little more common in or around agricultural areas (alfalfa fields) where it's weedy mustards such as tumble mustard, white top, dyar's woad, and black mustard grows around the edges and periphery of cultivated alfalfa. Males of the Checkered White fly a lot faster than those of the Cabbage White and can recognized accordingly. Females are much darker than either males or females of the Cabbage White.

The Checkered White has several generations per year and has been spotted as early as the last week in March; depending upon cooperative late winter/early spring weather. It can be slightly more common in June and July. Females of this butterfly lay eggs on the underside of leaves and flowers. This butterfly spends the winter as a chrysalis.

Note: To leverage the next section and fly to specific locations, you need to install Google Earth.

Specific Localities:

http://www.utahlepsociety.org/slcintlairport.html
Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah. N40 48'42.20" W111 56'52.82" or click here. (Late March)

Flight Periods:

Late March through September. 

Raising Caterpillars Resources:

Checkered White caterpillars can be found on the leaves of white top (Cardaria draba). This weedy mustard only flowers in the spring where lower (basal) leaves can thrive until hard freeze. Caterpillars can also be found stripping the yellow flowers of black mustard, dyar's woad, and tumble mustard.

pdf: http://utahbugclub.org/layout/pdf/Raising_P_protodice.pdf 
Raising Butterflies: http://www.raisingbutterflies.org/checkered-white/ 

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