cabbage butterfly

noun

1. any white or chiefly white butterfly of the family Pieridae, as Pieris rapae, the larvae of which feed on the leaves of cabbages and other related plants.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cabbage butterfly¹

First recorded in 1810–20

Example Sentences

But even though moths and butterflies are favored hosts, some species, including armyworms, cutworms, and cabbage butterflies, have shown a strange resistance to a plethora of wasp parasites, such as Cotesia kariyai and Baccharis vanessae.

From Science Magazine

Look for aphids, imported cabbage butterfly larvae and other pesky critters on the underside of the leaves.

From Seattle Times

I’m thinking of flea beetles on arugula and eggplant, potato beetles on spuds, and cabbage butterfly worms and harlequin bugs on cabbages and related varieties.

From Washington Post

Field tests are being made in several countries: in France and Germany against larvae of the cabbage butterfly, in Yugoslavia against the fall webworm, in the Soviet Union against a tent caterpillar.

From Literature

Though I now live in Los Angeles, I was reminded of this when a white cabbage butterfly fluttered against my kitchen window.

From New York Times