It's quite lovely. In New Zealand we have Cabbage White Butterflies (Pieris rapae). Most people are not too fond of them because they eat their cabbages, kale and other brassicas.
To me they're beautiful butterflies so, right now, we're excited to see so many.
They're everywhere in the garden enjoying the nectar of the flowers I provide especially for butterflies, and they're making use of our one cabbage and a pot of Curly Kale plants to lay eggs on. 🦋
- The white butterfly is common throughout New Zealand
- Adult butterflies have creamy white wings with the tips of the forewings tipped with grey or black
- Females have two black spots on each forewing while males have only one. Both have a single black spot on each hind wing
- The average wingspan is about 50 mm
- Butterflies are commonly seen flying above brassica crops or feeding on the nectar of flowers
- The females lay yellow oval eggs singularly on the underside of brassica leaves
- Each female can produce up to 400 eggs. In warm weather these hatch in 8-10 days giving rise to 1.5 mm long yellow/green caterpillars. As these grow they become a dull green colour with an orange strip down their backs
- There are five caterpillar stages and eventually they reach about 25 mm long. They pupate off the host plant on fence posts, nearby shrubs or buildings
- It takes 20-40 days from egg to pupa and a further 15-18 days to emerge as a new adult
- Depending on temperature there can be three or four generations a year
- They spend the winter as pupae with butterflies appearing again in spring.
REF: Agpest.co.nz