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WanderingMogwai — Cabbage White - Pieris rapae
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#butterfly #cabbage #flying #insect #lepidoptera #macro #nature #photography #pieris #white #rapae
Published: 2015-09-10 02:30:49 +0000 UTC; Views: 629; Favourites: 40; Downloads: 0
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Description
The Cabbage White is a non-native invasive species in North America. Originating in Europe and Asia they were accidentally introduced in Ontario during the late 1800's. It is a pest species in that the caterpillars eat cash crops such as cabbages.I got a shot at this individual in a grassy opening in the woods behind the house. There were several there so I had ample opportunity to try to get closer. They would feed at a flower flit away and circle back to the same flower several times before moving on to the next plant. Here it is feeding on the bloom of a Ragweed plant. Following it around I was waist deep in grass and weeds praying that the thin vines that kept somehow snagging my ankles weren't poison ivy. It was worth it.
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Comments: 24
This is Very Nice , Great , Interesting , Beautiful , Clear , Pretty , Enjoyable , Adorable , Positive , Peaceful , Calm , Bright , Unique and Kind photo !
Very Well Done ! I Very like and Support light and positive photos like this moment ! My Congratulations to You !
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Very nice, cabbage whites are one of my favorite butterflies.
I've got 6 caterpillars that recently hatched. I hope they grow up to be as beautiful as this one.
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Thank you! These guys are so active they are a real treat to get a good shot of. I thank you for the complement! I hope your little ones all come out happy and healthy!
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You're welcome.
And you're right, they never stay in one place for long but as caterpillars they mainly just eat and sleep.
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They're pretty easy to care for. 
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I raised a branch-full of Mourning Cloak butterflies once. It was pretty exhilarating when I realized I had succeeded and they all emerged from their pupae. Such beauty!!
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That's great. Sounds similar to some worms I found in Organic corn that I got at a Farmer's market. They eventually turned into moths
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Did you let them have the corn?
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Yes, I did have corn that was worm free and whatever leftover pieces I couldn't use, they ate it. Some farmers consider them to be pests but there are others who don't mind having them around.
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To be honest I'm not sure where I weigh in on that issue.
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Oh, well...I look at this way, even though they do cause damage to crops as caterpillars by eating them, they do help pollenate crops and other plants when they become butterflies or moths, which is important.
Interesting thing I've noticed about the cabbage white caterpillars I have is they seem to have different personalities, two of them are twins because they look alike and are always together. The smallest one is a female, she mostly just eats and watches whatever is going on around her.
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I used to simply believe that nature has an inherent value but that argument doesn't work for skeptics. Now my logic runs more along the lines of ow tings of nature benefit Mankind. You know what? Like your thought that worms become beneficial pollinators almost ALL tings of Nature almost DIRECTLY benefit Mankind! I say 'almost' because there are a few things such as bedbugs for instance for which there is no value what-so-ever.
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You have a point, a lot of things humans use come from a natural source, top reason why conservation groups are going to great lengths to protect different parts of the world.
Too many plants and animals are already extinct, there's no need to add on to the list.
Found out Cabbage whites are found in Europe, Asia and Africa but were brought to North America by accident when cabbage that was imported to Canada contained several caterpillars, these became butterflies and their population grew and eventually spread to the United States.
I had contacted a nature reserve near me that has a butterfly habitat hoping they would be interested in my cabbage white caterpillars once they become butterflies but sadly they can't accept live animal contributions from the general public.
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The world needs ever more kindness to overcome the crap we umans are doing to the environment!
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True, kindness never hurt anyone.
Oh, three of my six caterpillars have spun their cocoons. The other three are halfway there.
One of them climbed on my hand today, found out he really likes to be held.
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Will you release them when they emerge?
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Yeah. Though I'll miss them but they deserve to live with their wild cousins. Plus, I can always raise more next spring.
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Very nice, cabbage whites are one of my favorite butterflies.
I've got 5 caterpillars that recently hatched. I hope they grow up to be as beautiful as this one.
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