This species is widely spread in our country. It often appears in higher densities than the white cabbage butterfly. It attacks plants from the family Cruciferae – cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi, turnip, radish, horseradish, and others.
The cabbage butterfly develops two to three generations per year. It overwinters as a pupa on tree trunks, cornices, stems, fences, and other places. The butterflies from the overwintering generation emerge at the end of April and early May. They are active during the warm hours of the day, from 9 AM to 6 PM. They feed on nectar from blooming plants.
The females lay their eggs individually on the underside of leaves, mainly on weedy cruciferous plants. One butterfly lays an average of 150 eggs, with a maximum of 500. The embryonic development lasts from 7 to 10 days.
The caterpillar is velvety green with a pale yellowish longitudinal stripe along the back. The body length is 20-25 mm.
Young caterpillars cause damage by making round holes in the leaves, while older caterpillars roughly skeletonize the leaves and create tunnels in the heads of cabbages.
The development/feeding of the caterpillars lasts about 20 days. They pupate mainly on the plants where they have fed. The butterflies from the next generations lay their eggs on cultivated cruciferous plants – cabbage, kohlrabi, and others, where the caterpillars feed. They are found until late autumn and pupate in the same places where they overwinter.
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