Green-veined white
Its wings look plain white in flight, but on the underside the wing veins are traced in a smudged greenish-grey visible only at rest.
| Where | Damp meadows, hedgerows, woodland rides, riversides |
|---|---|
| Size | 40 to 52 mm wingspan |
| When | April to September |
It resembles other white butterflies but is identified by the dark veining that shows through on the greyish-green underside of the hindwing, a pattern the small white and large white lack.
It favours damp places with lush vegetation, and two broods normally fly each year in much of its range.
Traits
Habitat
Wetland
Colour
White, Green
Active
Day
To people
Harmless
Activity through the year
Often confused with
The small white lacks the green-tinged vein markings on the hindwing underside that the green-veined white always shows.
Questions
Is the Green-veined white dangerous to people?
The Green-veined white is harmless to people.
When can you see the Green-veined white?
The Green-veined white can be seen from April to September, 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›Pieris
Last updated 2026-09-26. Every entry is checked against published sources.