What I have is a Cabbage White butterfly, Pieris rapae. The link answers a few of my questions:
- It has settled in for the duration; they hibernate over the winter, hatching out in early spring.
- The reason it wouldn't eat any of the veg. I gave it was that I gave it no brassicas, except for the hedge mustard I found it on. I should have tried cabbage out of my fridge.
- I won't be able to tell if it is male or female until it hatches. Males have one spot on each wing, females have two.
Cultivated brassicas are the primary foodplants including cabbages, and Nasturtium (Tropaeoleum majus). Wild crucifers such as Wild Cabbage (Brassica oleracea), Charlock (Sinapis arvensis), Hedge Mustard (Sisymbrium officinale), Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata), Hoary Cress (Lepidium draba), and Wild Mignonette (Reseda lutea) are also used to a lesser degree.)
Hedge mustard as I found it.
And from a British site: same plant.
Sisymbrium is a member of the brassica family (Brassicaceae, referred to in older texts as Cruciferae), but not of the Brassica genus itself. Probably the different sites were referring to different ranks.
ReplyDeleteOne thing, though - in some parts of the world cabbage whites are a minor pest species. You may want to check whether it is in your area before releasing the butterfly.
Thanks, Christopher, that clears it up nicely.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I'll check out pest species.