Mustard White - Pieris oleracea
![[Mustard White image]](img/010121.jpg "Mustard White - Kentville - 2004-06-05")
Photo © Peter Payzant
Status in Nova Scotia
Reliable in some locations, but thinly-spread. Ferguson mentioned a colony on the road to Beinn Bhreagh and we collected one specimen there in the early 1980s. We didn't see any in this location on a subsequent visit some years later. Our first recent encounter was in the Parrsboro area on July 2, 2000. With increasing awareness on the part of some observers, this species is now being reported regularly.
Flight Period
Two broods: first brood early May to early July; second brood mid-July to mid-September.
Habitat
Deciduous woods and bogs. A colony was found at Tor Bay Beach in 2019, associated with Sea Rocket.
Larval Foodplants
Various mustard family plants.
Similar Species in Nova Scotia
The Mustard White is similar to the Cabbage White, but the hind wings of the Cabbage White lack the conspicuous gray-green striping on the underside.
Notes
This species was formerly quite common in Nova Scotia, but is now scarce. Recent research indicates that this may be a different species from the related "Green-veined White" of Europe.
Further Reading
Reliable in some locations, but thinly-spread. Ferguson mentioned a colony on the road to Beinn Bhreagh and we collected one specimen there in the early 1980s. We didn't see any in this location on a subsequent visit some years later. Our first recent encounter was in the Parrsboro area on July 2, 2000. With increasing awareness on the part of some observers, this species is now being reported regularly.
Flight Period
Two broods: first brood early May to early July; second brood mid-July to mid-September.
Habitat
Deciduous woods and bogs. A colony was found at Tor Bay Beach in 2019, associated with Sea Rocket.
Larval Foodplants
Various mustard family plants.
Similar Species in Nova Scotia
The Mustard White is similar to the Cabbage White, but the hind wings of the Cabbage White lack the conspicuous gray-green striping on the underside.
Notes
This species was formerly quite common in Nova Scotia, but is now scarce. Recent research indicates that this may be a different species from the related "Green-veined White" of Europe.
Further Reading
- eButterfly.org: Nova Scotia records, Canada records
- iNaturalist.org: 386 Nova Scotia records, 3593 North America records
- The Butterflies of Canada
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