Large White

• Latin name: Pieris brassicae
• Family group: Whites and yellows
• Countries: England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland
• Size: Medium, Large

Resident

Range stable.

The Large White is our largest white butterfly and is a strong flyer. It is not always welcomed in gardens and fields because of the damage its larvae inflict on brassica crops. The larvae are brightly coloured and conspicuous, a signal to warn predators of the irritant and poisonous mustard oils they have concentrated from the foodplants.

Many adults seen in Britain and Ireland have flown from mainland Europe. Numbers of both residents and migrants of this common and widespread species vary considerably from year to year.

Conservation status

• UK BAP status: not listed
• Butterfly Conservation priority: low
• European threat status: not threatened

European/world range

Occurs throughout Europe and North Africa and extends across Asia to the Himalayas. The distribution is stable in most European countries, but there have been declines in some countries and expansions in others.

Foodplants

The larvae feed on wild or cultivated species of the Cruciferae family, with a strong preference for cultivated varieties of Brassica oleracea such as Cabbage and Brussels-sprout and varieties of B. napus such as Oil-seed Rape. Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) and Wild Mignonette (Reseda lutea) are also used, as is Sea-kale (Crambe maritima) along the coast.

Habitat

This is a strongly mobile and migrant species that may be encountered in any location, throughout Britain and Ireland, even on mountain tops. Most adults are seen close to breeding areas, in gardens, allotments, and fields where brassica crops are grown. They may congregate in large numbers in fields of Oil-seed Rape. Wild species of foodplants are thought not to be important for this species.