Western White
Pontia occidentalis (Reakirt, 1866)
Family: Pieridae
Subfamily: Pierinae
Identification: Upperside of forewing has marginal markings that are lighter than the submarginal stripe. Below, forewing tip and hindwing have veins outlined with gray-green. Short-day spring and fall forms have more prominent markings.
Wing Span: 1 1/2 - 2 1/8 inches (3.8 - 5.3 cm).
Life History: Males patrol hilltops and ridges for receptive females. Females lay eggs singly on host plants. Caterpillars will feed on leaves but prefer buds, flowers, and fruits. Chrysalids hibernate.
Flight: One flight from June-July in far north; two flights from May-August in the south.
Caterpillar Hosts: Flowers and fruits of various members of the mustard (Brassicaceae) family.
Adult Food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Mountain peaks, slopes, hilltops, railroad yards, open plains, roadsides.
Range: Alaska south to central California, northern Arizona and northern New Mexico; east to North Dakota and central Ontario.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None noted.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 49 - 72 of 618 verified sightings
Observation date: Jun 30, 2021
Submitted by: weflybye
Region: Mason County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 01, 2021
Observation date: Jun 04, 2021
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: Teton County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jun 17, 2021
Observation date: Jun 19, 2020
Submitted by: glennfine
Region: California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 06, 2021
Observation date: May 01, 2021
Submitted by: NikkiM
Region: Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jun 02, 2021
Observation date: Aug 08, 2019
Submitted by: heinert
Region: Logan County, North Dakota, United States
Verified by: stevekohler
Verified date: May 10, 2021
Observation date: Apr 28, 2008
Submitted by: Dwaine Wagoner
Region: Natrona County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jan 25, 2021
Observation date: Oct 09, 2020
Submitted by: Christian.Nunes
Region: Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Nov 20, 2020
Observation date: Aug 24, 2020
Submitted by: Luna-Linuche.76
Region: Klamath County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 03, 2020
Observation date: Jun 21, 2020
Submitted by: Luna-Linuche.76
Region: Klamath County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 19, 2020
Observation date: Jun 21, 2020
Submitted by: Luna-Linuche.76
Region: Klamath County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 19, 2020
Observation date: Jul 20, 2018
Submitted by: victor.romano@l...
Region: Harney County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 30, 2020
Observation date: Apr 28, 2008
Submitted by: Dwaine Wagoner
Region: Natrona County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jan 08, 2020
Observation date: Aug 15, 2019
Submitted by: hydapse
Region: Park County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Dec 18, 2019
Observation date: Jun 28, 2019
Submitted by: Gary E Richardson
Region: Butte County, Idaho, United States
Verified by: stevekohler
Verified date: Nov 05, 2019
Observation date: Sep 08, 2019
Submitted by: sfbaywildlife
Region: California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 21, 2019
Observation date: Jul 29, 2016
Submitted by: Bixia
Region: Alpine County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 13, 2019
Observation date: Aug 16, 2019
Submitted by: Jdammarell
Region: Lincoln County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Aug 28, 2019
Observation date: Jul 08, 2016
Submitted by: Bixia
Region: Alpine County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 25, 2019
Observation date: Jul 15, 2019
Submitted by: Bixia
Region: Trinity County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 24, 2019
Observation date: Aug 05, 2019
Submitted by: Eric Wood
Region: Pennington County, South Dakota, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Aug 13, 2019
Observation date: Jul 28, 2019
Submitted by: Kerry Turley
Region: Yakima County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 29, 2019
Observation date: Jul 29, 2019
Submitted by: hiker96
Region: Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 29, 2019
Observation date: Jun 29, 2019
Submitted by: Pheasantboy77
Region: Yakima County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 26, 2019
Observation date: Jul 01, 2019
Submitted by: Pheasantboy77
Region: Yakima County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 26, 2019
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