Checkered White

  • Family name: Pieridae/Whites and Sulphurs
  • General description: Male forewing white with prominent square black cell spot and additional small black to gray spots along outer margin; hindwing unmarked white. Female forewing white with charcoal apex and more noticeable charcoal spots; hindwing white with gray chainlike band along margin. Ventral hindwing white with faint gray markings in males or more extensive yellow-gray scaling along veins in females. Seasonally variable; spring individuals smaller with more extensive dark gray scaling along veins on ventral hindwing.
  • Field Marks: white with black spots; forewing with square black cell spot
  • Sexes: differentCheckered White
  • Wingspan: 32-45 mm
  • Life Cycle: Egg: whitish-yellow, spindle-shaped, laid singly on host leaves, flowers or developing seeds Mature larva: gray with yellow longitudinal stripes and covered in small black spots Chrysalis: gray, speckled with black
  • Number of Generations: multiple
  • Flight Season: February-December
  • Abundance: Common
  • Habitat: disturbed sites, weedy fields, roadsides, agricultural land
  • Counties: Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Brevard, Broward, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, De Soto, Dixie, Duval, Escambia, Flagler, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Glades, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Holmes, Indian River, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Nassau, Okaloosa, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Volusia, Wakulla, Walton, Washington
  • Larval Host Plants: Virginia pepper grass (Lepidium virginicum)
  • Similar Species: Great Southern White
  • Additional Information: Uncommon in gardens. Range is limited in Vermont and New Hampshire.

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