Green veined white

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The green veined white butterfly is widespread and is found in meadows, hedgerows and woodland glades but not as often in gardens and parks like its close relatives the Large and Small Whites



The female has two spots on each forewing, the male only one. The veins on wings of the female are usually more heavily marked. The underside hindwings are pale yellow with the veins highlighted by black scales giving a greenish tint, Unlike these two butterflies it rarely chooses garden cabbages, instead on a wide range of foodplants, including cow parsley. The caterpillar is green and well camouflaged. It is often found feeding on the same plant as the Orange Tip but never competes for food because it only feeds on the leaves whereas the Orange Tip caterpillar feeds on the flowers and developing seed pods. Like other Pieris sp. it overwinters as a pupae It can produce up to three broods in a year.

The adult male of this species has a distinctive lemon smell.




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