Butterflies of Northumberland

Featured image: Large White ([1] @Vince Massimo)

• Class: Insecta
• Order: Lepidoptera
• Family: Pieridae
• Subfamily: Pierinae
• Genus: Pieris
• Species: brassicae

Conservation status: Least concern

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Appearance:

• Wingspan:  Male: 58mm Female: 63mm [1]
• Male/Female sexual dimorphism: Yes. Large black spots on female forewings are absent on males
• Wing Shape: large wide forewings with smooth straight edge. forewing tip quite pointed.
• Dorsal Wing: White with white veins. Black forewing tips. Males have very feint white spots on the forewing, females bold black spots.  
• Ventral Wing: Creamy white, veins are more clear.
• Body: Black top with white underside.

Large whites can be distinguished from their close relatives the Small White due to its increased size and boldness of its spots. In the small white the spots are fainter and more grey rather than black [2].

Large Whites and Small Whites are known as ‘Cabbage Whites’ due to both of their nature of feeding upon garden crucifers (Cabbage and Sprouts etc.) as caterpillars. The Cabbage Whites are considered a pest to many farmers and gardeners.

Distribution:

The Large White is found throughout Europe, North Africa and Asia (West of the Himalayan mountains) [2]. Within the British isles the Large White is one of the most widespread British butterflies where it is found in the vast majority of the island [1].

The range of habitat is very large and it can be said that they will appear just about anywhere [1]. Migratory individuals from the European continent arrive each year and boost the numbers of the resident populations [1,2]. The migrants arrive during spring and Autumn so the butterflies can be seen throughout most of the year [2].

Large Whites are vulnerable to parasitic ichneumon wasp (Apanteles glomeratus) which deposits eggs inside the caterpillar which then feeds on the insides until the caterpillar is killed [1].

Life Cycle:

The Large White undergoes two broods each year. The main larval food plants are various types of Crucifer [1]. Nasturtium (Trapaeolum majus) and Wild Mignonette (Reseda lutea) are also used. The Large White is considered a pest in many areas as the caterpillars can cause great amounts of damage to farm and garden produce [2].

Butterfly:

• Overwintering brood emerge in April, reaching their peak in May
• Summer brood emerge late July/Early August

Eggs: Yellow, skittle shaped eggs are laid in groups of usually around 40 [1]. Each egg is directly attached to the leaf of the food plant. The eggs will hatch within 1-2 weeks depending on the environmental temperature [1,2].

• First brood eggs are laid in May
• Second brood eggs are laid in August

Caterpillar: The caterpillars hatch together and feed upon the same plant. They have been known to eat all of the leaves on single plants before moving on to others [2]. As the caterpillar grows they sequestrate mustard oils that they use to produce toxins, making them taste bitter and avoid predation [1,2,4]. However, this defence does not help against the parasitic wasps with up to 75% being killed by parasites [2].

These large groups of caterpillars are pests for farmers and vegetable growers as they can quickly destroy plants.

• First brood caterpillars emerge in June
• Second brood caterpillars emerge in August

Pupa: The caterpillars move away from their food plant and find a suitable place for pupation e.g. a tree trunk or fence [1]. The pupa forms by attaching to the surface by a silk girdle [1,2].

• First brood pupa form in June and will persist for around 2 weeks [1].
• Second brood pupa form in August/September and will hibernate throughout winter until spring [1].

Behaviour:

Adult Large White butterflies are strong powerful fliers capable of long distance migration [1]. On overcast/cool days they are one of the first butterfly species seen on the wing [2]. They are able to achieve this due to ‘reflective basking’, using their reflective dorsal wing to direct light onto the body to increase body temperature [2].

Large White butterflies feed mostly on Thistles (Cirsium spp. and Cardius spp.) [1]. Bluebell, Bugle, Dandelion, Kanpweeds, and Ragwort are also commonly used [1,2].

Large White In Northumberland:

North East England Status: Very Common Resident [5]

There are resident populations found within Northumberland [5,6]. Regular immigration from the European mainland enhances the population each year. The abundance of Large White butterflies varies year on year due the parasitic wasps destroying large proportions of caterpillars. However the Large White is considered a common butterfly in Northumberland [6].

In 2015 there was 2029 recordings of individual Large White butterflies [7].The first Large White in the region was found in Tynemouth on April the 17th [7]. There was two broods throughout the summer with the last individual being sighted in Northumberland on the 10th October in the dunes at Bamburgh [7].

References:

[1] UK Butterflies (2017) Large

White http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/species.php?species=brassicae Accessed 17 February 2017

[2] Learn About Butterflies (2017) Pieris brassicae http://www.learnaboutbutterflies.com/Britain%20-%20Pieris%20brassicae.htm Accessed 17 February 2017

[3] Butterfly Conservation (2017) Large White http://butterfly-conservation.org/50-605/large-white.html Accessed 25 February 2017

[4] Hammersley D (2003) A butterfly notebook. The book guild ltd. East Sussex

[5] North East Butterflies (2017) Butterfly Species http://www.northeast-butterflies.org.uk/speciesb/butterflies.html Accessed 17 February 2017

[6] Cook NJ (1990) An atlas of the butterflies of Northumberland and Durham. Northumberland biological records centre, the Hancock museum. Newcastle Upon Tyne

[7] Fleming S, Waller I, Perkins M, Norman R, Dover, Donnelly A (2015) Butterfly summary 2015. Northeast England branch. Butterfly Conservation. http://www.northeast-butterflies.org.uk/download_files/2015ButterflyReport.pdf Accessed 25 February 2017