[268] Pieris napi, Green-veined White
Introduction
Pieris napi, the Green-veined White is a very common butterfly, similar to [267] the Large White and Small White but with a marked vein-like structure on the under wings.
Taxonomy
Kingdom – Animals
Phylum – Arthropods
Class – Insects
Order – Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Family – Pieridae
Subfamily – Pierinae (Whites and Yellows)
Tribe – Pierini
Genus – Pieris
Scientific Name – Pieris napi
Name
[057] Rapeseed is Brassica napus, which is all you need to add to the section about Names for the two species yesterday. (Latin purists will recognize that the masculine napus becomes napi in the genitive, as the feminine brassica and rapa became brassicae and rapae.)
Description
From the top, this butterfly is very similar to the other Whites but the undersides of its wings show the ‘green veins’ that give it its name. Dark scales – from a dirty green colour to brown or almost black – show against the background of the pale yellow or green wings.
It feeds on many of the wild species of Brassicaceae, such as Hedge Mustard, Garlic Mustard, Water Cress, Charlock, Wild Cabbage, Wild Radish and Cuckooflower. (There are too many such species for easy identification and I haven’t been able to include them specifically in these blogs.)
Habitat
Pieris napi is widespread and common across Eurasia and North Africa. In Britain it is even more widespread than the Large White and Small White, including all of Scotland in its range. It is found in hedgerows, forest edges and anywhere with grass.
The Species of Britain 