West Virginia White
Pieris virginiensis (W.H. Edwards, 1870)
Family: Pieridae
Subfamily: Pierinae
Identification: Wings are translucent, whitish, with no yellowish tint underneath. Underside of hindwings with blurry brown or pale gray scaling along veins.
Wing Span: 1 3/4 - 2 1/8 inches (4.5 - 5.3 cm).
Life History: Males patrol slowly to locate females. Eggs are laid singly on undersides of host plant leaves. Chrysalids hibernate on stems or plant litter under the plant.
Flight: In the North, one flight in May; in the South, one flight from April-May.
Caterpillar Hosts: Toothworts (Dentaria diphylla and D. laciniata) in the mustard (Brassicaceae) family.
Adult Food: Flower nectar from toothworts, spring beauty, violets, and other plants.
Habitat: Moist deciduous woodlands or mixed woods.
Range: Northern Great Lakes states and from New England southwest along the Appalachians to north Georgia and northeast Alabama.
Conservation: A species of native, relatively undisturbed habitats. Declining due to timbering, development, and spread of garlic mustard (Alliaria officinalis).
NCGR: G4 - Apparently secure globally, though it might be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: Control spread of garlic mustard. Ensure timbering intensity allows recovery of sufficient habitats on local scale.
Comments: NULL
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 774 verified sightings
Observation date: Apr 13, 2024
Submitted by: CincyJeff
Region: Fayette County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: May 16, 2025
Observation date: Apr 18, 2025
Submitted by: gjkoppel
Region: Mercer County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Apr 23, 2025
Observation date: Mar 27, 2025
Submitted by: Blayne Crabtree
Region: Morgan County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Mar 30, 2025
Observation date: Aug 10, 2024
Submitted by: heather-russell
Region: Montgomery County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 13, 2024
Observation date: May 29, 2024
Submitted by: dvollmar
Region: Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 09, 2024
Observation date: May 07, 2024
Submitted by: BostonClick
Region: Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 08, 2024
Observation date: May 03, 2024
Submitted by: tiki33wv
Region: Pocahontas County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: May 05, 2024
Observation date: May 03, 2024
Submitted by: tiki33wv
Region: Pocahontas County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: May 04, 2024
Observation date: May 26, 2023
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jun 12, 2023
Observation date: May 11, 2023
Submitted by: rhedden
Region: Rensselaer County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: May 12, 2023
Observation date: May 11, 2023
Submitted by: dlister
Region: Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 11, 2023
Observation date: May 09, 2023
Submitted by: rhedden
Region: Rensselaer County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: May 10, 2023
Observation date: May 06, 2023
Submitted by: gjkoppel
Region: Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: May 09, 2023
Observation date: Apr 21, 2023
Submitted by: Cascade Colors
Region: Morgan County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Apr 22, 2023
Observation date: Mar 16, 2023
Submitted by: Tdloyd
Region: Wilson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Apr 17, 2023
Observation date: Apr 11, 2023
Submitted by: lizmcd
Region: Garrett County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Apr 17, 2023
Observation date: Apr 05, 2023
Submitted by: Cascade Colors
Region: Cumberland County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Apr 07, 2023
Observation date: Apr 01, 2023
Submitted by: Steven Wilson
Region: Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Apr 02, 2023
Observation date: Apr 03, 2022
Submitted by: Tommie Rogers
Region: Morgan County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Aug 30, 2022
Observation date: Mar 30, 2022
Submitted by: k.d.stutzman
Region: Sevier County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Jun 12, 2022
Observation date: Apr 03, 2022
Submitted by: naturegal64
Region: Scott County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Jun 12, 2022
Observation date: May 09, 2022
Submitted by: rhedden
Region: Bennington County, Vermont, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 10, 2022
Observation date: May 09, 2022
Submitted by: rhedden
Region: Bennington County, Vermont, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 10, 2022
Observation date: Apr 25, 2022
Submitted by: KABerry
Region: Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Apr 30, 2022
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