Bug FAQMustard White
Pieris oleracea · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Pieridae
Also called: Eastern Veined White
The mustard white butterfly is almost entirely white on top with a tiny black spot at the wing tips and green or yellow veining on the underside of the hind wings. It lives in prairies, near streams, and moist deciduous woodlands, especially in spring, and is native to most of Canada and the northeastern United States. Adults and larvae feed on mustard-family plants, and the species usually produces two generations per year, though numbers vary by region.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The upper side of the wings is pure white with a small black patch at the tips. The underside of the hind wings shows green or yellow lines along the veins.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They live in prairies, near streams, and moist deciduous woods. In spring they are especially common in moist woodlands and open fields.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults also sip nectar from those same plants.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The species usually has two generations per year. In southern Ontario there may be three to four generations, while farther north sometimes only one.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the move in June and again in late July. In spring they are most often seen in moist woodlands and open fields.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
They are native to most of Canada and the northeastern United States.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Similar species include the green-veined white (Pieris napi), West Virginia white (Pieris virginiensis), and margined white (Pieris marginalis).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 23 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Vermont, Michigan, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, Maine, Massachusetts.
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 plants do mustard white butterflies eat?
Both the caterpillars and the adults feed on plants in the mustard family, and adults also drink nectar from those plants.
Source: Wikipedia
When are mustard white butterflies active?
Adults are on the wing in June and again in late July, and they are most noticeable in spring in moist habitats.
Source: Wikipedia
Where can I find mustard white butterflies?
They occur in prairies, near streams, and moist deciduous woodlands across most of Canada and the northeastern United States.
Source: Wikipedia
How can I tell mustard white butterflies apart from similar species?
Look for the almost entirely white upper wings with a tiny black tip patch and the green or yellow veining on the underside of the hind wings; other white Pieris species have different vein colors or patterns.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Pieridae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pieris_oleracea
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.