How do they look?

Pieridae Butterflies are the well-known white, yellow, greenish-yellow, or orange butterflies that we encounter in meadows, pastures, and vegetable gardens. They are moderately large (wingspan 25-60 mm) butterflies active during the day.

Caterpillars of these butterflies are usually green, covered with dense, short hairs. The more common species include cabbage white, large white, and green-veined white, which are challenging to distinguish because they all have white wings. Wood white is a large, white butterfly with distinct wing veins.

Male clouded yellow butterflies are bright yellow, while females have a greenish hue.

Where do they live?

Caterpillars primarily inhabit leaves. Cabbage white caterpillars prefer all kinds of cabbages, while caterpillars of large white and green-veined white butterflies feed on cabbages, turnips, and radishes.

What do they eat?

Caterpillars chew through the soft tissue of leaves, leaving the veins untouched. Wood white butterfly overwinters in the caterpillar stage and feeds on buds in spring, later transitioning to leaves and flowers.

Interesting and important facts

Latvia has 14 species of butterflies from the Pieridae family. Among them are colorful butterflies, including brimstone butterflies, also known as clouded yellow.

Information sources: https://www.latvijasdaba.lv, Kreslina L. ‘Insects in Latvia’

Photo: pixabay.com, redzet.eu