BUTTERFLY: Green-veined White

The Green-veined White is a common butterfly in damp areas, because the plants its larvae feed off thrive in damp environments. These pictures were taken in one of our fields which is slightly wetter and near some woodland. At the time (late July and early August) there were hundreds of the butterflies in the field.

One of the plants the larvae live on is Lady's Smock or Cockooflower (Cardamine Pratensis) which there is lots of in this field. 

It takes its name from the green-tinted underwing, but the upper wings of the male and female look quite different - the male having a white wing with a black spot, and the female having black streaks across the whole wing.