Pieridae : Dismorphiinae
Wood White
LEPTIDEA sinapis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Wood White
LEPTIDEA sinapis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Life Cycle Guide
Description
Wingspan: 36-48mm
Worldwide Distribution: Europe : Russia : Syria : Caucasus : S.Siberia : Baikal Region : Turkey : Lebanon : widespread and common in most of Europe.
UK Distribution: A rare butterfly of Southern and Central England and in the Burren region of Ireland.
UK Conservation -
Flight Periods:-
Dampness either sides of the forest rides produce areas where grasses and reeds provide settling places for the females along with nectar plants like Greater Stitchwort (Stellaria holostea), one of the first broods favourite nectar plants & Vetches & Thistles for second brood individuals.
In early May on a site in Surrey Wood Whites never fail to appear where a stream crosses the forest ride and grasses and reeds are in abundance.
Ovum: The skittle shaped eggs are laid singly on the underside of various vetches and trefoils along the ride edges,the first generation preferring plants growing in the warmest locations.Ova hatch after two weeks.
The female usually deposits 30-60 ova during her lifetime with the highest number being deposited during fine weather.
Larva: Mid June-Mid August.The solitary green larvae with a yellow central line is well camouflaged amongst the vetches but are still vulnerable to predation by birds.
Pupa: The veins on the chrysalis are pink and stand out well against a light green transparent background.
Overwinters as: Pupa
Observations: To the trained eye the Wood White can easily be distinguished from other similar looking butterflies like the Green-veined White and the Orange-tip which fly at the same time, purely by the slow daintiness of its flight as they amble up a forest ride hovering over the vegetation,whereas the previously mentioned butterflies flight is faster and more positive in direction.
Males can be distinguished from females firstly by the white underside to the tip of their antennae and secondly by the darker black tips on the upper side forewings.In the summer males tend to fly continually whereas females tend to settle on vegetation.
Second brood individuals tend to be lightly marked compared with their predecessors and in some instances,especially with the females,the black wing tip marking is missing altogether.(see photo 10 L-R)
Wood Whites always settle with their wings closed.
The well known site in Surrey has produced wide fluctuations in Wood White numbers during the past five years where the found numbers in a season has been as low as 3 and as high as 80. I have noticed that during a good year the second brood individuals tend to migrate outwards from the site to other woods and last year I found 2 individuals a mile away from the entrance of the main site. I have been surprised by this recovery from such low numbers.
I have also had the pleasure to watch this charming butterfly "Mud Puddling" during warm weather where mineral salts are taken from ground, following rain. (See photos 11 & 12 L-R below)
Another fascinating observation takes place when male and female face each other on a leaf with their wings closed whereupon the male flicks his proboscis like a whip firstly down one side of her wing and then alternately the other side, several times,followed by wing flashing as he opens and quickly closes his wings, followed by the female also flashing her wings.
The behaviour has been considered a precursor to mating but in my brief experience I have never seen this lead to copulation.
Worldwide Distribution: Europe : Russia : Syria : Caucasus : S.Siberia : Baikal Region : Turkey : Lebanon : widespread and common in most of Europe.
UK Distribution: A rare butterfly of Southern and Central England and in the Burren region of Ireland.
UK Conservation -
- NERC S.41 : 2008 (England) & NERC S.42 : 2009 (Wales) - Species "of principle importance for the purpose of conserving biodiversity
- BAP : 2007 - Priority Species
- Endangered - Butterfly Red List for Great Britain 2010
- Notable ( Nb 1980/93 ) = 31 - 100 10Km Squares
- Least concern
- Papilio sinapis (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Papilio sinapis (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Sweden
Flight Periods:-
- Bivoltine : 2 Broods : Great Britian- May-June & July-August.
- Univoltine : 1 Brood in N.Europe : June-Early August.
- Trivoltine : 3 Broods in many parts of Southern Europe : March-September
Dampness either sides of the forest rides produce areas where grasses and reeds provide settling places for the females along with nectar plants like Greater Stitchwort (Stellaria holostea), one of the first broods favourite nectar plants & Vetches & Thistles for second brood individuals.
In early May on a site in Surrey Wood Whites never fail to appear where a stream crosses the forest ride and grasses and reeds are in abundance.
Ovum: The skittle shaped eggs are laid singly on the underside of various vetches and trefoils along the ride edges,the first generation preferring plants growing in the warmest locations.Ova hatch after two weeks.
The female usually deposits 30-60 ova during her lifetime with the highest number being deposited during fine weather.
Larva: Mid June-Mid August.The solitary green larvae with a yellow central line is well camouflaged amongst the vetches but are still vulnerable to predation by birds.
Pupa: The veins on the chrysalis are pink and stand out well against a light green transparent background.
Overwinters as: Pupa
Observations: To the trained eye the Wood White can easily be distinguished from other similar looking butterflies like the Green-veined White and the Orange-tip which fly at the same time, purely by the slow daintiness of its flight as they amble up a forest ride hovering over the vegetation,whereas the previously mentioned butterflies flight is faster and more positive in direction.
Males can be distinguished from females firstly by the white underside to the tip of their antennae and secondly by the darker black tips on the upper side forewings.In the summer males tend to fly continually whereas females tend to settle on vegetation.
Second brood individuals tend to be lightly marked compared with their predecessors and in some instances,especially with the females,the black wing tip marking is missing altogether.(see photo 10 L-R)
Wood Whites always settle with their wings closed.
The well known site in Surrey has produced wide fluctuations in Wood White numbers during the past five years where the found numbers in a season has been as low as 3 and as high as 80. I have noticed that during a good year the second brood individuals tend to migrate outwards from the site to other woods and last year I found 2 individuals a mile away from the entrance of the main site. I have been surprised by this recovery from such low numbers.
I have also had the pleasure to watch this charming butterfly "Mud Puddling" during warm weather where mineral salts are taken from ground, following rain. (See photos 11 & 12 L-R below)
Another fascinating observation takes place when male and female face each other on a leaf with their wings closed whereupon the male flicks his proboscis like a whip firstly down one side of her wing and then alternately the other side, several times,followed by wing flashing as he opens and quickly closes his wings, followed by the female also flashing her wings.
The behaviour has been considered a precursor to mating but in my brief experience I have never seen this lead to copulation.
Subspecies
L. s.sinapis Linnaeus, 1758-Europe-including most of British Isles, but excluding Ireland - Nominate Subspecies
L. s.sinapis Linnaeus, 1758-Europe-including most of British Isles, but excluding Ireland - Nominate Subspecies
Larval Food Plants Worldwide
Note - Plants hyperlinked in red below take the visitor to the relevant plant page on"Plants for a Future" website
where further information like photos,physical
characteristics,habitats,edible uses,medicinal
uses,cultivation,propagation,range,height etc. are clearly listed.
- Plant Families - in bold red below takes the visitor to the relevant "Lepi-plants" page where other butterflies & moths using the plants below are listed.
- Fabaceae - Leguminosea - The Pulse - Bean - Pea - Legume Family
- Lathyrus aphaca - Yellow-Flowered Pea
- Lathyrus grandiflorus - Everlasting Pea
- Lathyrus linifolius montanus - Bitter Vetch - Heath Pea
- Lathyrus niger - Black Pea - Blackening Flat Pea
- Lathyrus pratensis - Meadow Vetchling - Meadow Pea
- Lathyrus tuberosus - Tuberous Pea - Tuberous Vetchling
- Lathyrus vernus - Spring Vetchling - Spring Pea
- Lotus corniculatus - Bird's-foot Trefoil - Common Bird's-foot Trefoil
- Lotus uliginosus - Greater Bird's-foot Trefoil
- Trifolium arvense - Haresfoot clover - Rabbitfoot clover
- Vicia cracca - Tufted Vetch - Bird Vetch - Cow Vetch
Larval Food Plants
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Taxonomy
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Kingdom:
Subkingdom: Phylum: Subphylum Class: Order: Superfamily: Family: Subfamily Tribe: Genus: Accepted Species Name: Type Species LEPTIDEA: Original Species Name: Species Names: Literary Ref: Type Locality: Forms/Aberrations: Subspecies: |
Animalia
Eumetozoa Arthropoda Hexapoda Insecta Lepidoptera Papilionoidea Pieridae Dismorphiinae Leptideini LEPTIDEA Billberg, 1820 Leptidea sinapis (Linnaeus, 1758) - Papilio sinapis (Linnaeus, 1758) - PAPILIO sinapis (Linnaeus 1758) = Leucophasia sinapis diniensis Boisduval, 1840 = Leptidia sinapis subgrisea Staudinger, 1901 = Leptidea sinapis lactopolia Dannehl, 1933 = Leptidea sinapis pumilia Dannehl, 1933 = Leptidea sinapis colladoi Fernandez Rubio, 1969 - Syst. Nat. (Edn 10) 1 : Title page : p.468 n.61 - Sweden - L.s. brunneomaculata Stauder, 1921 L.s. detersa Rocci, 1920 L.s. diniensis Boisduval, 1840 L.s. flavescens Grund, 1905 L.s. minor Muschamp, 1911 L.s. sartha Rühl, 1895 - L.s. sinapis Linnaeus, 1758-Europe L.s.pseudodiniensis Pfeiffer, 1927-Caucasus, Kopet-Dagh L.s.melanoinspersa Verity, 1911-W. and N. Tian-Shan : Dzhungarsky Alatau : Alay Mountains |