Butterflies and Moths of North America

collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera

Becker's White
Pontia beckerii (W.H. Edwards, 1871)


Family: Pieridae
Subfamily: Pierinae
Identification: Upperside of both male and female is white, with black spots near tip of forewing. Inside the forewing cell is a square black bar with a curved white center. The underside of the hindwing of both sexes has wide green edging along the veins, confined by a white median band.
Wing Span: 1 5/8 - 2 inches (4 - 5 cm).
Life History: Males patrol ravines in search of females. Females lay eggs singly on host stems, buds, leaves, flowers, and fruits.
Flight: Several flights from March-October.
Caterpillar Hosts: Plants of mustard (Brassicaceae) family including mustards (Brassica), and hedge mustard (Sisymbrium) species; and bladder-pod (Isomeris arborea) in the caper family (Capparidaceae).
Adult Food: Flower nectar including hedge mustard and alfalfa.
Habitat: Arid brushlands, desert foothills and canyons, fields.
Range: British Columbia and Alberta south to Baja California; east of the Cascades and Sierra Nevada, east and south to western Montana and New Mexico.
Conservation: Not required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None required.
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