# 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. - **Category:** [Insects](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/insect) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 4 - **Habitat:** Grasslands ![Margined White](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Pieris_marginalis_1211.JPG&width=800) Photo: Walter Siegmund (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pieris_marginalis_1211.JPG) ## 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. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Arthropoda - **Class:** Insecta - **Order:** Lepidoptera - **Family:** Pieridae - **Genus:** Pieris ## 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 - **Disguise Artist:** Margined White can blend into dappled sunlight because of its white wings and subtle markings that help it hide from predators. - **Taste-Tester Feet:** Margined White has special sensors on its feet that help it 'taste' leaves to find the perfect spot to lay eggs. - **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](https://www.snappit.app/explore/stellers-jay) (*Cyanocitta stelleri*) — This bird may hunt and eat Margined White adults. - **Eats:** [Cross Orbweaver](https://www.snappit.app/explore/cross-orbweaver) (*Araneus diadematus*) — Spiders can ambush unwary butterflies in their webs. - **Pollinates:** [Canada Goldenrod](https://www.snappit.app/explore/canada-goldenrod) (*Solidago canadensis*) — Adult butterflies visit its flowers for nectar, spreading pollen. ## Traits - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [Grassland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grassland): Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals. - [Herbivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/herbivorous): This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material. - [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms. - [Diurnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/diurnal): Diurnal animals are primarily active during daylight hours, typically resting or sleeping at night. - [Migratory](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/migratory): Migratory animals undertake seasonal movements from one region to another, typically in response to changes in climate or food availability. - [Pollinator](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator): Describes organisms that transfer pollen, enabling the fertilization and reproduction of plants. ## Collections - [Insects](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/insects) ## 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 ## Where to spot - [Monte Bello Open Space Preserve](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/monte-bello-open-space-preserve) — California, US · Nature Reserve - [Dunsmuir Botanical Gardens](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/dunsmuir-botanical-gardens) — California, US · Botanical Garden - [Headwaters Forest Reserve](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/headwaters-forest-reserve) — California, US · Forest - [Jack London State Historic Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/jack-london-state-historic-park) — California, US · State Park - [Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/coquihalla-canyon-provincial-park) — British Columbia, CA · State Park - [Bright Angel Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/bright-angel-park) — British Columbia, CA · State Park [View all places to see Margined White](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/margined-white) ## More Insects - [Common Eastern Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-eastern-bumble-bee) (*Bombus impatiens*) - [Spotted Lanternfly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/spotted-lanternfly) (*Lycorma delicatula*) - [Brown-belted Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/brown-belted-bumble-bee) (*Bombus griseocollis*) - [Eastern Carpenter Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-carpenter-bee) (*Xylocopa virginica*) --- Source: [Margined White: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/margined-white)