10 Jun 2015

10 June 15 - Green-veined White

With the exception of the distinctive Orange-tips, I'm usually pretty good at ignoring the White Butterflies, given the very high dominance of Large Whites & Small Whites. I saw several of these Green-veined Whites on a migrant-less trip to Old Harry in late May. In looking to sex this individual on the excellent UK Butterflies website, I realised how different the Spring first brood are compared to the Summer second brood. It just goes to show how easy it is to learn new stuff about common species if you bother to take the time to look at them.
 
Green-veined White: First brood Male. Showing the distinctive green veins. Old Harry (24 May 15)
Green-veined White: First brood Male. This is the same individual. Males have whiter upperwings than females. Old Harry (24 May 15)
In comparison, the Summer second brood are more heavily marked than the Spring first brood, with the females being the most heavily marked on the upperparts.
Green-veined White: Second brood. The second broods are more heavily marked than the first broods. The females are typically more heavily marked than males with dark veins on the upperwings, so I think this individual photographed at Westbere, Kent is still a male (3 July 14)
I am now going to spend more time looking to get some better photos of Green-veined White after seeing the differences in the broods & sexes.