Western White
Pontia occidentalis (Reakirt, 1866)
Family: Pieridae
Subfamily: Pierinae
Identification: Upperside of forewing has marginal markings that are lighter than the submarginal stripe. Below, forewing tip and hindwing have veins outlined with gray-green. Short-day spring and fall forms have more prominent markings.
Wing Span: 1 1/2 - 2 1/8 inches (3.8 - 5.3 cm).
Life History: Males patrol hilltops and ridges for receptive females. Females lay eggs singly on host plants. Caterpillars will feed on leaves but prefer buds, flowers, and fruits. Chrysalids hibernate.
Flight: One flight from June-July in far north; two flights from May-August in the south.
Caterpillar Hosts: Flowers and fruits of various members of the mustard (Brassicaceae) family.
Adult Food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Mountain peaks, slopes, hilltops, railroad yards, open plains, roadsides.
Range: Alaska south to central California, northern Arizona and northern New Mexico; east to North Dakota and central Ontario.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None noted.
Get your BAMONA Gear!
Please donate!
We depend on donations to keep Butterflies and Moths of North America freely available. We want to express our gratitude to all who showed their support by making a contribution this year. You can donate to support this project at any time.
Advertise with us!
Do you have a product or service that you think would interest BAMONA users? If you would like to advertise on this website, contact us by email, or use the contact form and select the "Advertising" category.
Verified Sightings
Displaying 169 - 192 of 660 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 07, 2013
Submitted by: randimal
Region: Pierce County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Aug 10, 2013
Observation date: Mar 29, 2013
Submitted by: plex1ppus
Region: Lincoln County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Apr 01, 2013
Observation date: Jul 11, 1982
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (K Hansen-S. Mattoon)
Region: Elko County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Dec 01, 2012
Observation date: Jul 26, 1988
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (George T. Austin)
Region: Lincoln County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Dec 01, 2012
Observation date: Jun 03, 1985
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Floyd & June Preston)
Region: Lander County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Dec 01, 2012
Observation date: Jul 25, 1988
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (George T. Austin)
Region: Lincoln County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Dec 01, 2012
Observation date: Aug 11, 2012
Submitted by: plex1ppus
Region: Okanogan County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Sep 22, 2012
Observation date: Sep 01, 2012
Submitted by: PDunwiddie
Region: Pierce County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Sep 03, 2012
Observation date: Jul 22, 2012
Submitted by: MamaMac
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Aug 26, 2012
Observation date: Jul 14, 2012
Submitted by: PDunwiddie
Region: Kittitas County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 17, 2012
Observation date: Jul 01, 2012
Submitted by: PDunwiddie
Region: Kittitas County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 02, 2012
Observation date: Jun 26, 2012
Submitted by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Region: Mono County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 01, 2012
Observation date: Jul 09, 1976
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Kilian Roever; J & S Werner)
Region: Coconino County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 01, 2012
Observation date: Jul 01, 1977
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Ron Wielgus)
Region: Coconino County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: Jan 01, 2012
Observation date: Aug 14, 2011
Submitted by: J_Martineau
Region: Johnson County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Dec 02, 2011
Observation date: Aug 11, 2011
Submitted by: Tommie Rogers
Region: Davis County, Utah, United States
Verified by: Ranger Steve Mueller
Verified date: Oct 17, 2011
Observation date: Aug 11, 2011
Submitted by: Tommie Rogers
Region: Davis County, Utah, United States
Verified by: Ranger Steve Mueller
Verified date: Oct 17, 2011
Observation date: Aug 06, 2011
Submitted by: dspicer
Region: Elko County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 11, 2011
Observation date: Sep 05, 2011
Submitted by: Jdammarell
Region: Lincoln County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Sep 06, 2011
Observation date: Aug 21, 2011
Submitted by: chuckcmt
Region: Valley County, Montana, United States
Verified by: stevekohler
Verified date: Aug 31, 2011
Observation date: Jul 28, 2011
Submitted by: cpcdolan
Region: Rio Grande County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Aug 06, 2011
Observation date: Jul 13, 2011
Submitted by: cpcdolan
Region: Mineral County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Jul 23, 2011
Observation date: Jul 21, 1973
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Jim Brock)
Region: Alpine County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport (Ken Davenport)
Verified date: May 01, 2011
Observation date: Jul 25, 2009
Submitted by: plex1ppus (plex1ppus)
Region: Pend Oreille County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Apr 08, 2011
- ‹ previous
- 8 of 28
- next ›