Distribution: Throughout the UK; prefers open areas, and closely associated with agriculture due to its liking of various brassica as food plants. Also very common in parks, gardens, meadows and fields.

Flight period: Early April to October, usually with two or three broods.

Behaviour: Mating flight spiralling and vivacious; copulating pairs often remain joined for quite a long time, and when disturbed fly off still joined together. Female lays golden-yellow eggs in batches close together on the underside of leaves of the caterpillar's food plants.

Caterpillar: Yellowish green with black spots of various sizes and yellow lines on the top and sides, with short hairs. Feeds mainly on many cabbage species (hence the popular name of Cabbage White), but also on Nasturtium, Hedge-Mustard and other plants, which are often reduced to a skeleton by the caterpillars' activities. The young caterpillars remain together at first, but disperse later. Chrysalis yellow-green with a pattern of black spots, attached by a girdle on or near the food plant.

Hibernation: As a chrysalis, commonly on buildings, crevices in walls, under window ledges, etc.