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Margined White

Pieris marginalis

The Margined White is a beautiful butterfly with white wings and black edges. It loves to flutter around gardens and fields, bringing joy to everyone who sees it.

Habitat: Grasslands

Appearance

The Margined White is a medium-sized butterfly with white wings, often showing faint dark scaling along the margins, especially on females. Its undersides can have a yellowish tint or dark dust-like scaling along veins, differentiating it from similar white butterflies.

KingdomAnimaliaPhylumArthropodaClassInsectaOrderLepidopteraFamilyPieridaeGenusPieris
Margined White
Photo: Walter Siegmund (talk)CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsView original ↗
colorful trait badgegrassland trait badgeherbivorous trait badgepollinator magnet trait badge
Margined White

Category

Insects

Rarity

Common

Danger

1/5 · Very low

Snaps

4

Interesting facts

It's like a tiny flying map-maker, finding its way using the sun!

Margined Whites are great at 'playing dead' if they feel threatened!

Some Margined Whites can produce two generations of butterflies in a single year!

This butterfly starts as a hungry caterpillar that loves to munch on mustard plants!

Special abilities

Ability

Disguise Artist

Margined White can blend into dappled sunlight because of its white wings and subtle markings that help it hide from predators.

Ability

Taste-Tester Feet

Margined White has special sensors on its feet that help it 'taste' leaves to find the perfect spot to lay eggs.

Ability

Nectar Seeker

Margined White can sip sweet nectar from flowers using its long proboscis, helping it fuel its flights and pollinate plants.

Measurements & details

Wingspan
35-50 mm
Size
15-25 mm
Lifespan
10-20 days
Flight Speed
15 km/h
Leg Count
6

Diet & Feeding

Adult Margined Whites drink flower nectar; caterpillars munch on plants from the mustard family.

Age differences: Larvae (caterpillars) feed on leaves of host plants, while adults drink nectar from flowers.

Primary Foods

  • Nectar
  • Bittercress plants
  • Toothwort plants
  • Rockcress plants

Foraging Method

  • Foraging

Ecological connections

Eaten by

Nuttall's Bittercress

Cardamine nuttallii

Its leaves are food for Margined White caterpillars.

Eaten by

California Toothwort

Dentaria californica

Young caterpillars munch on this plant's leaves.

Eats

Steller's Jay

Cyanocitta stelleri

This bird may hunt and eat Margined White adults.

Eats

Cross Orbweaver

Araneus diadematus

Spiders can ambush unwary butterflies in their webs.

Pollinates

Canada Goldenrod

Solidago canadensis

Adult butterflies visit its flowers for nectar, spreading pollen.

Traits

Also known as

No aliases listed yet.

Collections

Safety

Danger

1/5 · Very low

Butterflies are gentle creatures; just watch them from a distance.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to identify Margined White?

Compare the wing outline, spots, bands, eyespots and wing edges. The underside can look completely different from the top. Check for tails, the antennae and where the markings sit instead of relying on color alone. Butterfly Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

What is Margined White's wingspan?

35-50 mm

How big is Margined White?

15-25 mm

How long does Margined White live?

10-20 days

How fast can Margined White fly?

15 km/h

What does Margined White eat?

Adult Margined Whites drink flower nectar; caterpillars munch on plants from the mustard family.

Where is Margined White usually found?

Grasslands

How does Margined White hunt?

Foraging

Snap Map

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Recent Snaps

Where to spot

Monte Bello Open Space Preserve place preview
Nature Reserve46 sightings50 species

California, US

Monte Bello Open Space Preserve

Bird Watching and Equestrian Trails

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Dunsmuir Botanical Gardens place preview
Botanical Garden30 sightings12 species

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Dunsmuir Botanical Gardens

Botanical Garden and Family Friendly

You might spot Broad-Leaved Stonecrop and Pacific Bleeding Heart.

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Headwaters Forest Reserve place preview
Forest30 sightings12 species

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Headwaters Forest Reserve

Accessible and Bird Watching

You might spot Pacific Banana Slug and Pacific Trillium.

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Jack London State Historic Park place preview
State Park39 sightings6 species

California, US

Jack London State Historic Park

History, Literary, Hiking, Nature, Wildlife Viewing, Family Friendly, Historic Landmark, Sonoma Valley

You might spot Pacific Hound's Tongue, Pacific Trillium, and Redwood.

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Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park place preview
State Park5 sightings4 species

British Columbia, CA

Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park

Hiking, Historic Site, Family Friendly, Scenic Views, Wildlife Viewing, Wheelchair Accessible, Nature Photography, Cycling

You might spot Western Sword Fern, Vine Maple, and Thimbleberry.

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Bright Angel Park place preview
State Park6 sightings3 species

British Columbia, CA

Bright Angel Park

Nature, Hiking, Family Friendly, Wildlife Watching, Suspension Bridge, River Access, Picnicking, British Columbia

You might spot Western Toad, Himalayan Balsam, and Western Sword Fern.

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