Bug FAQGiant White
Ganyra josephina · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Pieridae
Adults feed on nectar from many garden weeds such as Lantana, Eupatorium and Bougainvillea, while the caterpillars eat older leaves of Capparidaceae plants.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan ranges from roughly 73 to 96 mm, which is about 2.9 to 3.8 inches.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It prefers open, dry, subtropical forest habitats.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The larvae feed on older leaves of plants in the Capparidaceae family.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are on the wing from September through December in southern Texas.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
You will see them flying between September and December in southern Texas.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its range extends from southern Texas across Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America down to northern South America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 3 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Florida, Arizona.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
When can I see Giant White butterflies?
In southern Texas they are active from September to December.
Source: Wikipedia
What do the caterpillars eat?
The larvae feed on older leaves of plants in the Capparidaceae family.
Source: Wikipedia
What flowers do the adults visit?
Adults feed on nectar from weeds and garden plants such as Lantana, Eupatorium and Bougainvillea.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Pieridae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganyra_josephina
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.