Cabbage White

I was so excited to find these crysalis' today. I did not know what they were, but posted them in the insect and bug ID form, and they were quickly tagged for me.

My dilema is...I don't know what the plant is, that I found them on. I looked online and it says that CW's host foods are in the mustard family. I was given a bulb by a friend, and it is growing in a pot. Has no flowers, buds...nothing but a stock and leaves. My husband swears it looks like one of the weeds from the backyard, and I would say so too, had I not planted the bulb. Not sure anyone could ID it for me, with the way it looks.

But..I would like to know what it is, so I can get more of it. I have plants provided for other butterflies..never imagined I had a host plant for something I wasn't aware of. Nice surprise.

Here are two pics of my find this morning!!

Second picture

I'm not sure you can rely on that being the plant they were hosting on. Likely wandered there!

If it is a Cabbage White, any plant of the cabbage family will make them happy, I have lots of them eating on my Kale.

Who was it , Cat or Shelia or Deb? Someone said their Monarch's travel 20 feet. So I imagine the little cabbage white traveled far too and picked that plant to pupate.

KALE! Yah. that's 'what I should add to my butterfly garden. I forgot that could host. I didn't want a big old cabbage in there! LOL.

Thanks everyone..that's what I sort of started thinking myself. They are lucky they got across my yard safely :)

And this morning...I woke up to this!

beautiful!

BTW, I think I just saw a CW oviposite on some weed in the yard. go figure.

I was happy to have gotten to see it :)

Nice on the eggs!

Great shot Piggy, glad you got to see it too. I have kolorabi planted for the whites and have brought in a couple to watch. They are in pupa stage now.

Here's the pix of the ovipositing. Going to have to get my magnifying glass out to look for eggs.

Wow, great picture. Thanks for sharing that.

Did you ID the weed yet??

It wasn't/isn't a weed. I knew it was a bulb of some sort, because a friend gave it to me, and I planted it. She thinks it was a Dahlia. Time will tell on that one.

I did not ID my weed. It's just something in the lawn. I couldn't find any eggs on it. I'm tempted to dig it up and let it grow though.

I checked on one the other crysalis' this morning, and noticed it looked different. I could actually see the wing spots starting to show through. I took this picture, and was in hopes of taking more of a series...

I got a little sidetracked and didn't get out there as soon as I had hoped. When I went out the next time, which was only a matter of about a half hour, it had already emerged. Bummer. But it's still pretty neat that I saw the first stage of it. Here is this little guy.

Great photos PiggyPoo!!! Thanks for sharing.

~ Cat

Great shots Piggy! I have two already in chrysalis and a third is beginning. I don't usually bring the whites in but I wanted to see for myself what the stages were. Your pics are too perfectly timed.

I got very lucky!!! Wish I would have gotten a couple inbetween, though.

NICE! blutterfly. It would be nice if is a dhalia, couse I gave one to my friend.

Mireya...it appears that the plant the crysalis' were on, was not the host plant, but rather where the caterpillars decided to migrate to, to do their thing.

I checked out the weeds in the yard that the CW layed eggs on and it indeed looks like it is in the mustard family. I think I'll move a few of them to the butterfly garden.

Nice!!! I want to find something to plant, as well to attract more of them. I have no idea what I had that attracted the ones I got, but I want more. I read that nasturtiums also attract them. I'll need to get some of them.

The only thing I could find to purchase lately was kolorabi, but it worked. I have had several start laying eggs right away. The plant is mostly gone now though.

Well, last year they were ALL over my catmint. Not showing too much interest right now as it's early in the season I guess.

The also seemed to like my marigolds.

Nice pic, very peaceful!

I took in three of the CW cats a few weeks back and they did emerge fine, but I too didn't actually see the moment. Not enough patience I guess.
Plan to have Clammy weed for them next year, thanks to Cat; so maybe I will have another chance.