#cabbageworm

This species has some different common names across the many regions it occupies including: small white, cabbage butterfly, small cabbage white, and white butterfly. It is also known as the imported cabbageworm.

Evergestis rimosalis Cross-striped #cabbageworm #larva. I have a batch of these little ones subsisting in my mustard greens patch. They have a voracious appetite and prefer cruciferous plant leaves. #caterpillar #caterpillars #evergestisrimosalis #cabbageworms #insects #moths #bugs #worms #insecta #entomology #insect (at Denton, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/By51zO_Fg4W/?igshid=1dr9iyc0weg5d

cabbage worms

Cabbage White Butterfly (Pieris rapae). This species lays it's eggs on host plants typically in the mustard family. Once hatched, the larvae (also known as cabbageworm) begin to feed on the host plant and are known to decimate crops. But that doesn't mean that this is a bad insect. The adult butterfly feeds on nectar and is a great pollinator that works a longer season than most other butterfly species. Even insects which we consider pests play important roles in the ecosystem. They just need to be kept in balance is all.