Butterflies of North Carolina:
their Distribution and Abundance
Common Name: Scientific Name:
Common Name begins with:
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Scientific Name begins with:
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Number of records: 249,610
Related Species in PIERIDAE:
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Common NameCabbage White by Randy Newman
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Scientific NamePieris rapae
Link to BAMONA species account.
MapClick on a county for list of all database records for the species in that county.
Flight Chart
Common NameCabbage White
Scientific NamePieris rapae
DistributionDISTRIBUTION: Statewide; occurring in all 100 counties. Introduced from Europe.
AbundanceABUNDANCE: Widespread, but declining. Fairly common to locally common in the Mountains and Piedmont; mostly uncommon in the Coastal Plain, and quite scarce in most coastal counties. May be locally abundant, such as in the fields near Pettigrew State Park. Formerly (25 or more years ago) one of the most numerous butterflies in the state. Numbers in the past 25 years have declined sharply nearly statewide, owing to loss of habitat to development and abandonment, drought, and perhaps other factors.
FlightFLIGHT PERIOD: Numerous broods, perhaps as many as five or more; continuous presence in the state from late February into mid-November, and sparingly into December. The Piedmont flight chart suggests four broods.
HabitatHABITAT: Most open country habitats; most frequent around cultivated fields that have flowering plants; gardens, lawns, fields, meadows, even along woodland borders and powerline clearings. It may even occur occasionally in the interior of forests.
PlantsFOOD AND NECTAR PLANTS: Foodplants are in the mustard (Brassicaceae) family; it is especially numerous in cultivated fields where mustards, radishes, etc., are planted. Nectar plants are highly varied.
CommentsCOMMENTS: Drought and habitat loss are taking their toll on the Cabbage White and the Orange Sulphur, two species formerly very numerous but now sometimes missed on Fourth of July butterfly counts. With the continued loss of agricultural fields to development, numbers of Cabbage White, Checkered White, Clouded Sulphur, and Orange Sulphur, among several other species, continue to plummet in NC.
State Status (first) and Rank (second)none - SE
Federal Status (first) and Global Rank (second)none - G5
Synonym
Other NameCabbage Butterfly
Links to other butterfly galleries: [Cook] [Lynch] [Pippen] [Pugh]
Photo Gallery for Cabbage White
Photo by: Roger Rittmaster
Comment: Durham Co.
Cabbage White - Click to enlarge 		Photo by: Lori Arent
Comment: 2020-08-17. Wake Co. male
Cabbage White - Click to enlarge
Photo by: Lori Arent
Comment: 2020-10-08. Wake Co.
Cabbage White - Click to enlarge 		Photo by: Lori Arent
Comment: 2020-08-23. Wake Co.
Cabbage White - Click to enlarge
Photo by: Jamie Anderson
Comment: Alleghany Co., New River State Park - 2010-June-11; female
Cabbage White - Click to enlarge