Small White
Small White
Insect
A dainty white butterfly with small dark wingtips, fluttering through gardens all summer. Its well-camouflaged green caterpillars feed quietly on cabbages and other brassicas.
💡 Fun Facts
- The Small White is the other 'cabbage white', a little smaller than its big cousin the Large White.
- Its green caterpillars are brilliantly camouflaged against cabbage leaves, so they are tricky for hungry birds to spot.
- It is one of the most widespread butterflies in the world, found across Europe, Asia, North Africa and beyond.
📅 Through the Year
- Active:April to October
Name Story
Pieris rapae
means “the Muse of the turnip”
What does its name mean?
- Pieris — a Muse — one of the goddesses of music and poetry in Greek mythGreek
- rapae — of the turnip (and cabbage)Latin (from rapa, 'turnip')
The name pairs a graceful Muse from Greek myth with a very down-to-earth turnip! Rapae means 'of the turnip' because this butterfly's hungry caterpillars munch cabbages, turnips and other garden greens. Note: 'white' is only in its English name — Pieris does not mean 'white' at all; it names a Muse.