Cabbage-worm
Guides
Pontia protodice
Checkered White, Southern Cabbage Butterfly
Pontia protodice, commonly known as the Checkered White or Southern Cabbage Butterfly, is a North American pierid butterfly widespread in the southern United States and northern Mexico. The species exhibits pronounced sexual dimorphism in wing patterning, with females displaying more extensive black and gray markings than males. Adults are highly vagile and have been documented making significant seasonal incursions northward beyond their core range. The green larva, known as the Southern Cabbageworm, feeds on a diverse array of Brassicaceous host plants.