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| UK Status |
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| Resident |
A species which is continually Resident in the UK with stable breeding populations. |
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| Migrant |
A species which occurs as a Migrant in the UK. It may be able to breed here although they are usually unable to survive our winter months. Migrants are normally reported in the UK every year. |
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| Rare Migrant |
A species which occurs as a Rare Migrant in the UK. It may able to breed here although they are usually unable to survive our winter months. Rare Migrants may not be seen for many years. |
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| Extinct |
A species which is Extinct in the UK, usually as a result of habitat loss. |
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| Introduction |
A species which ocurs in the UK as an accidental introduction. |
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Description
The larvae of the Large White feed on wild and cultivated species of the Cruciferae family. The larvae are often encountered on Cabbage and Brussels-sprout plus Oil-seed Rape. The larvae are brightly coloured.
The Large White is on the wing between the end of April to end of June and mid July to October although numbers drop rapidly by mid September. The Large White is the UK's largest white butterfly. It is not always a welcome visitor to gardens and allotments due to the damage inflicted on brassica crops by the larvae which are capable of completely devouring large areas of cabbages. Over recent years the use of pesticides has effected its numbers quite dramaticallly in some places in the UK.
Habitat
A very mobile and migrant species which may be found in any location. The majority of adults are to be found close to breeding areas where brassica crops are grown.
Larval Food Plants
Cruciferae family Cabbages etc plus Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) and Wild Mignonette (Reseda lutea). |
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| Stock Photography Library |
| We have 12 photographs of the Large White in the British Butterflies photo library |
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BB1350 - Large White
DSC_1064.JPG
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BB1349 - Large White
DSC_1056.JPG
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BB1069 - Large White
DSC_4693.JPG
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BB982 - Large White
DSC_5356.JPG
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BB981 - Large White
DSC_5353.JPG
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BB980 - Large White
DSC_5339.JPG
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BB859 - Large White
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BB858 - Large White
DSC_4905.JPG
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| Distribution |
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| The Large White can be found throughout the UK. Although this is a resident species which breeds in large numbers in the UK the population is added to by migrants fro mainland Europe. Numbers vary from year to year. |
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| Where to see the Large White |
| The Large White can be found throughout the UK. Although this is a resident species which breeds in large numbers in the UK the population is added to by migrants fro mainland Europe. Numbers vary from year to year. |
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| Population Trends |
| species status |
the Large White is a resident species in Britain |
| population trend1 |
(1995-2004)  up by 18% |
(1976-2004)  down by -28% |
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1Fox, R., Asher. J., Brereton. T., Roy, D & Warren, M.
(2006) The State of Butterflies in Britain & Ireland, Pices, Oxford. |
| UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) Status |
| UK BAP status2 |
not listed (link) |
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| 2 For more information about the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) species status, visit www.ukbap.org.uk. |
| IUCN Category Status |
| IUCN category3 |
 least concern4 |
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3 Fox, R., Warren, M & Brereton, T.
(2007) New Red List of British Butterflies. Butterfly Conservation, Wareham.
4 More information about IUCN categories available here. |
| Find Out More Online* |
| More information about the Large White can be found on Peter Eeles excellent UK Butterflies web site. |
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Aberrations and Forms |
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| We currently know of 9 named aberrant forms of the Large White. More information about aberrants can be found here. |
 ab. fasciata - Kiefer (1918) |
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| ab. flava - Kane (1893) |
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| ab. infrafasciata - Graham-Smith & Graham-Smith (1929) |
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| ab. lacticolor - Lempke (1953) |
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| ab. marginata - Graham-Smith & Graham-Smith (1929) |
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| ab. minor - Ksienchopolsky (1911) |
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| ab. nigroviridescens - Rocci (1919) |
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| ab. reducta - Fritsch (1913) |
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| ab. venata - Verity (1908) |
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| References |
| The information on this web site comes from a variety of freely available resources including books, academic reports and web sites alongside my own personal observations of butterflies. The species descriptions are currently in the process of being edited (spring 2009) to include new data, recent personal observations and referencing following a major update to the site.
A complete list of references mentioned in the text on this web site is available here. |
| * External Links Disclaimer |
| This web site includes links to information provided by external web sites which are not in any way under the control of www.britishbutterflies.co.uk. We cannot, therefore, be held responsible for the content of external web pages. |
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58-63mm
