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Rural School Leaflet 



THE IMPORTED CABBAGE BUTTERFLY 



Appearance of the insect. — The parent imported cabbage butterfly has 



two pairs of large, strong, white wings. Each of the front wings has a 



black patch in the outer comer; the wings 

 of the mother butterfly bear two black 

 spots in addition, while those of the father 

 insect bear but one black spot, or patch. 

 The wings are sulfur- or straw-colored on 

 the underside. The body of the butterfly 

 is long and slender, and dark in color. 

 The long, slender feelers, or antennae, project 

 from the head. Each antenna ends in a 

 swollen knob. The caterpillar is velvety 

 green in color, and about one and one-fourth 

 inches in length when full-grown. There 

 are a faint yellow stripe down the middle of 

 the back and a row of }x>llow spots along 

 each side of the body. 



Story of its life. — The butterflies appear 

 early in the spring, and the mother insect 

 soon begins to deposit her whitish or pale 

 yellow eggs on the leaves of the cabbage, 



one in a place. These hatch in about one week, and the tiny green worms 



appear. The velvety green caterpillars become full-grown in about two 



weeks, and each one transforms to a puj^a which, owing to its peculiar 



appearance and silvery marldngs, is called a chrysalis. The clirysalis may 



be fastened to a cal)- 



bage leaf or to a board 



or paling in an adjacent 



fence. Tlic insect re- 

 mains in the chrysalis 



stage for from one to 



two weeks, then the 



butterfly appears, thvis 



completing the life 



cycle, which is passed 



in from twenty-two 



days to five weeks. 



There are at least three 



broods in a season in 



New York. 

 Injury and control. — 



The imported cabbage butterfly; 

 male above, female below 



Parts of cabbage leaf, with eggs at A, caterpillars at B, and 

 chrysalis at C 



The caterpillars riddle the outer leaves of the 



