Bug FAQMargined White
Pieris marginalis · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Pieridae
The margined white has a wingspan of about 1½ to 2¼ inches (3.8-5.7 cm). In summer it is all white, while in spring the upper forewing tips are black and the underside veins are edged with yellow-green or gray-green. It lives along the western coast of North America and prefers the canopy, feeding on plants in the Brassiceae family in both disturbed and undisturbed habitats.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Summer individuals are pure white; spring individuals have black tips on the upper forewing and yellow-green or gray-green edged veins on the underside of the hindwing and forewing apex.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan ranges from about 1½ to 2¼ inches (3.8-5.7 cm).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is a canopy generalist that feeds on Brassiceae plants and can be found in both disturbed and undisturbed areas, showing a broad habitat tolerance.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults and larvae feed on members of the plant family Brassiceae.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Its presence in both disturbed and undisturbed habitats indicates a flexible life cycle adapted to varied conditions.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species occurs along the western coast of North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 20 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Alaska, Washington, Colorado, Oregon, Idaho, New Mexico, Wyoming.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What does a margined white look like?
In summer it is completely white; in spring the upper forewing tips are black and the underside veins have yellow-green or gray-green edges.
Source: Wikipedia
How large is a margined white butterfly?
Its wingspan is roughly 1½ to 2¼ inches (3.8-5.7 cm).
Source: Wikipedia
Where can I find margined whites?
They are found along the western coast of North America, usually in the forest canopy feeding on Brassiceae plants.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Pieridae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pieris_marginalis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.