Black-veined white
Newly hatched caterpillars of this butterfly spend the entire winter together inside a single silk tent spun on a hawthorn twig before dispersing in spring.
| Where | Hedgerows, orchards and flowery scrubland |
|---|---|
| Size | 51 to 70 mm wingspan |
| When | April to August |
The Black-veined White has translucent white wings crossed by bold black veins on every wing, a pattern shared by no other large white butterfly in Europe. Females often lose wing scales through wear, making their wings look even more glassy and see through.
Caterpillars hatch from eggs laid in batches on hawthorn or blackthorn and live communally in a silk web through winter, resuming feeding and dispersing as the weather warms in spring. A single generation flies from April to August over open, flowery countryside.
Traits
Habitat
Farmland
Colour
White, Black
Active
Day
To people
Rests openly on flowers by day; harmless to people.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
Similar in size at about 60 to 70 mm wingspan, but has solid black wingtips rather than the black veining that crosses the entire wing of the Black-veined White.
Questions
Is the Black-veined white dangerous to people?
Rests openly on flowers by day; harmless to people.
When can you see the Black-veined white?
The Black-veined white can be seen from April to August, by day.
Plate retouched from a photo by Didier Descouens, CC BY‑SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons Licence
The plate on this page is shared under the same licence as its source, CC BY-SA.
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Butterflies and moths›Whites and yellows›Aporia
Last updated 2026-09-26. Every entry is checked against published sources.