The Butterflies of the World Foundation

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Mustard White

Pieris oleracea, T. Harris, 1829

Subfamily Pierinae

Tribe Pierini

Taxonomy

There are about 1100 or so species within the family Pieridae.  The family is further divided into three subfamilies, the Coliadinae which has about 300 species worldwide and includes the Sulphurs, Yellows and Brimstones, the Pierinae which has about 700 species worldwide and includes the Whites, Orange-tips and Jezebels, and the Dismorphiinae which has about 100 species mostly in the tropics and includes the Wood Whites and Mimics.

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Pieris oleracea, near Olsen Wetland, Ransom County, North Dakota, 29 June 2003

                                                                                               Ref #:  I-187-2.2

Pieris oleracea, Little Yellowstone Park, Barnes County, North Dakota, 28 June 2003

                                                                                               Ref #:  I-184-1.4

General Information:

Pieris oleracea flies from most of central Canada down to the north eastern United States.  It flies from late spring to early summer in moist woodlands.  There is one to two broods.  It has been recently shown to be a separate species from the European Pieris napi.

Lifecycle:

The larval food plants are various mustards.  The female will lay a single egg on the underside of a leaf and the freshly hatched larvae burrow into the leaf.