Interactive Butterfly CD
Butterflies of the
Carolinas & Virginias

West Virginia White,
Pieris virginiensis

Size: Wingspan is 1 3/8 to 1 5/8 inches.

Similar Species:
Cabbage White

Habitat: Wooded slopes in the mountains and cove forests. Mountain forests with rich soils with an a abundance of wildflowers especially toothworts (Cardimine spp.) the host plant.

Abundance: Common in the eastern and central mountains of North Carolina.

Flight Period: Flies from mid April until late May.

Comments: You`ll find Cabbage Whites in the same areas as the West Virginia White so you have to be careful to get a close look to see if it is all white to be ID ed correctly. Once you see a few of them the flight is much weaker and slower than a Cabbage White.

The top three photo were taken in Clay Co., NC on May 13, 2006. The bottom photo was taken in Clay Co., NC on May 04, 2003.

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