This pale Cabbage White butterfly, also called the Small White, Pieris rapae, was the first butterfly I’ve seen in my Brooklyn neighborhood this year. One can just make out the diagnostic dark wingtips and the single dark spot in the center of the forewing (that identifies this one as a male). The butterfly’s spring form is paler than its more familiar summer appearance with large dark spots and very dark wingtips. This butterfly appeared on the first day of spring, March 21, when the weather in New York City is usually still chilly. But flowers and trees are blooming early this year. Butterflies are back! I’ll be posting shots of spring in New York as the season unfolds. Visit my blog for more at http://urbanwildlifeguide.net. Or read more about lots of things in my book, Field Guide to Urban Wildlife.
Julie Feinstein
I am a Collection Manager at the American Museum of Natural History, an author, and a photographer. I live in New York City. I recently published my first popular science book, Field Guide to Urban Wildlife, an illustrated collection of natural history essays about common animals. I update my blog, Urban Wildlife Guide, every Sunday.
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