Large White (<i>Pieris brassicae</i>)

You can come across the Large White almost everywhere. It lays its eggs singly or in small clusters on the underside of the foodplants, which are mainly broad-leaved Brassicaceae (like Brassica, Crambe, Lunaria, Cakile) that offer enough food for the gregarious caterpillars, but also species of the introduced genus Tropaeolum (Tropaeolaceae) which also contains glucosinolates On such a nutritious diet, the caterpillar grows very quickly, reaching the pupal stage in three to six weeks. The attractive white pupa is suspended in a silken girdle from the foodplant. The Large White has several generations a year, the number depending on the geographical location and latitude of the flight area, and the length of the summer.

Family	Pieridae
Subfamily	Pierinae
Genus	Pieris
Species	brassicae
Authority	(Linnaeus, 1758)
English Name	Large White

European Red List 2010	Least Concern (LC)
EU 27 Red List 2010	Least Concern (LC)
European Red List 2025	Least Concern (LC)
EU 27 Red List 2025	Least Concern (LC)
Habitats Directive
Bern Convention
CITES

#	Order	Family	Genus	Species	Vernacular Name
1	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Alliaria	petiolata	Garlic Mustard
2	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Arabis	alpina	Alpine Rock-cress
3	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Armoracia	rusticana	Horse-radish
4	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Aubrieta	deltoidea	Aubretia
5	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Aurinia	saxatilis	Golden Alison
6	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Barbarea	stricta	Small-flowered Winter-cress
7	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Barbarea	vulgaris ssp. vulgaris
8	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Biscutella	auriculata
9	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Biscutella	laevigata
10	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Brassica	cretica ssp. cretica
11	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Brassica	montana
12	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Brassica	napus	Oil-seed Rape (see ssp.)
13	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Brassica	oleracea	Cabbages
14	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Brassica	rapa	Turnip (see ssp.)
15	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Bunias	erucago
16	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Bunias	orientalis	Warty-cabbage
17	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Cakile	maritima	Sea Rocket
18	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Capsella	bursa-pastoris	Shepherd's-purse
19	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Cardamine	hirsuta	Hairy Bitter-cress
20	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Coincya	monensis ssp. cheiranthos
21	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Conringia	orientalis	Hare's-ear Mustard
22	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Crambe	cordifolia	Greater Sea-kale
23	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Crambe	maritima	Sea-kale
24	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Descurainia	sophia	Flixweed
25	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Diplotaxis	erucoides	White Rocket
26	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Diplotaxis	muralis	Annual Wall-rocket
27	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Diplotaxis	tenuifolia	Perennial Wall-rocket
28	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Draba	incana	Hoary Whitlowgrass
29	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Eruca		Garden Rocket
30	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Eruca	vesicaria	Garden Rocket
31	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Erucastrum	nasturtiifolium
32	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Erysimum	x cheiri	Wallflowers
33	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Erysimum	odoratum
34	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Erysimum	perofskianum
35	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Hesperis	matronalis	Dame's-violet
36	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Hirschfeldia	incana	Hoary Mustard
37	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Iberis	amara	Wild Candytuft
38	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Iberis	gibraltarica
39	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Iberis	umbellata	Garden Candytuft
40	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Isatis	tinctoria	Woad
41	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Kernera	saxatilis
42	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Lepidium	draba	Hoary Cress
43	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Lepidium	latifolium	Dittander
44	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Lepidium	sativum	Garden Cress
45	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Lobularia	maritima	Sweet Alison
46	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Lunaria	annua	Honesty
47	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Matthiola		Stocks
48	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Matthiola	incana	Hoary Stock
49	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Matthiola	incana ssp. incana
50	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Nasturtium	officinale	Water-cress
51	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Peltaria	turkmena
52	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Raphanus	raphanistrum	Wild Radish (see ssp.)
53	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Raphanus	raphanistrum ssp. landra
54	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Raphanus	raphanistrum ssp. sativus
55	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Rapistrum	rugosum	Bastard Cabbage
56	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Rhamphospermum	arvense
57	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Rhamphospermum	nigrum
58	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Rorippa	amphibia	Great Yellow-cress
59	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Rorippa	sylvestris	Creeping Yellow-cress
60	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Sinapis	alba	White Mustard
61	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Sisymbrium	austriacum
62	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Sisymbrium	officinale	Hedge Mustard
63	Brassicales	Brassicaceae	Thlaspi	arvense	Field Penny-cress
64	Brassicales	Capparaceae	Capparis	spinosa
65	Brassicales	Capparaceae	Morisonia	paradoxa
66	Brassicales	Cleomaceae	Cleome	spinosa
67	Brassicales	Resedaceae	Caylusea	abyssinica
68	Brassicales	Resedaceae	Reseda		Mignonettes
69	Brassicales	Resedaceae	Reseda	alba	White Mignonette
70	Brassicales	Resedaceae	Reseda	lutea	Wild Mignonette
71	Brassicales	Resedaceae	Reseda	luteola	Weld
72	Brassicales	Resedaceae	Reseda	odorata	Garden Mignonette
73	Brassicales	Resedaceae	Reseda	virgata
74	Brassicales	Tropaeolaceae	Tropaeolum		Nasturtiums
75	Brassicales	Tropaeolaceae	Tropaeolum	brasiliense
76	Brassicales	Tropaeolaceae	Tropaeolum	majus	Nasturtium
77	Brassicales	Tropaeolaceae	Tropaeolum	peregrinum	Canary-creeper
78	Fabales	Fabaceae	Cytisus	multiflorus	White Broom
79	Fabales	Fabaceae	Genista	tinctoria	Dyer's Greenweed
80	Fabales	Fabaceae	Glycine	max ssp. soja
81	Fabales	Fabaceae	Lathyrus		Peas
82	Fabales	Fabaceae	Lathyrus	latifolius	Broad-leaved Everlasting-pea
83	Fabales	Fabaceae	Lathyrus	sylvestris	Narrow-leaved Everlasting-pea
84	Fabales	Fabaceae	Lathyrus	tuberosus	Tuberous Pea
85	Fabales	Fabaceae	Medicago	sativa	Lucerne (see ssp.)
86	Fabales	Fabaceae	Vicia		Vetches
87	Fabales	Fabaceae	Vicia	cracca	Tufted Vetch

Large White (Pieris brassicae)

Description

Distribution

Larval Foodplants