West Virginia White
Pieris virginiensis
Description 1 3/8-1 5/8" (35-41 mm). Dusky white with smoky gray-brown scaling suffused along veins of HW below. Sometimes very pale gray markings above on FW tip or HW costa. HW below may be cream-colored but has no yellowish cast.
Similar Species Veined White clearer white, usually yellowish below, more discretely scaled along veins.
Life Cycle Caterpillar chartreuse with lighter yellow-green stripes on side and back; feeds on toothwort (Dentaria diphylla) and pupates well before winter. Slim chrysalis has long, curved "beak."
Flight 1 brood; April-May.
Habitat Rich, moist woodlands.
Range Margins of Great Lakes to Quebec and New England, south in Appalachians to N. Georgia.
Discussion Formerly considered the same species as the Veined White, the West Virginia White is in fact a completely distinct butterfly, occupying moister, shadier, generally more southern habitats. From Maryland to North Carolina in the Appalachians it is rather widespread and common. But populations farther north are becoming fewer and sparser as the butterfly's native woodlands are altered. In Ontario, the West Virginia White is an
Endangered Species.
Source
