When I was a child I knew this butterfly and the similar larger species as the Small Cabbage White and the Large Cabbage White. The word "cabbage" became associated with the butterflies because they were always found around cabbages and laid their eggs on the underside of the plants' leaves. They still do of course. Today I know the butterflies by their English zoological name - i.e. minus the cabbage. In our previous garden we were plagued by both White butterflies and members of the brassica family on our vegetable patch were not worth growing without small-mesh netting covers to prevent the caterpillars eating them. Our present garden has no cabbages but the buddleia and verbena flowers attract them with no apparent harm being done. In the photograph the butterfly is on the latter.
photo © T. Boughen Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2
