Bug FAQSpring White
Pontia sisymbrii · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Pieridae
Also called: California White, Colorado White
The Spring White butterfly has a wingspan of about 31 to 40 mm and is mostly white with small black spots; females can appear yellowish. It lives in mountainous regions of western Canada and the United States. Its caterpillars feed on plants in the mustard family, such as Caulanthus, Streptanthus and several Arabis species.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Adults are mainly white with tiny black markings; females may show a yellowish tint.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan ranges from 31 to 40 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Caterpillars feed on Brassicaceae plants such as Caulanthus, Streptanthus, Sisymbrium altissimum, and several Arabis species.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range includes the mountainous parts of western Canada and the United States.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It resembles other checkered-white butterflies like Pontia beckerii, Pontia protodice, and Pontia occidentalis.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 18 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Washington, Oregon.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What does the Spring White butterfly look like?
It is mostly white with small black spots, and females can appear yellowish.
Source: Wikipedia
Where is the Spring White butterfly found?
In mountainous regions of western Canada and the United States.
Source: Wikipedia
What plants do the caterpillars eat?
They feed on mustard-family plants such as Caulanthus, Streptanthus, Sisymbrium altissimum, and several Arabis species.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Pieridae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontia_sisymbrii
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.