PIERIS II. 

 PIEEIS VIEGINIENSIS. 5—8. 



Pieris Virginiensis, Edwards, Trans. Am. Ent. Soc. 1870. 



Male. Exj^ands 1.7 incli. 



Upper side white, less pure than Oleracea aud much obscured by grey brown 

 scales which are scattered over the whole surface but are dense on apex, costa and 

 basal half of primaries and at base and along the subcostal and median nervures 

 of secondaries; a grey patch also on costa of secondaries. 



Under side white, the nervures all bordered with grey brown, most conspicu- 

 ously on sub-median of both wings and the branches of this nervure on secondaries; 

 shoulder pale orange. 



Body above blue grey, beneath white; palpi white tipped with grey; antennsE 

 blackish above, finely annulated with white below ; club black tij^ped with yellow- 

 ish. 



Female. Expands 1.9 inch. 



Similar to male, the surface usually still more obscured. 



This species is allied to Oleracea, from which it may be readily distinguished 

 by the shape of its wings, which are longer and narrower, by their texture, which 

 is more delicate, and by the constant presence of grey scales over the surface. In 

 the Kanawha district it replaces Oleracea which is yet unknown there. It is not 

 uncommon in the month of May, frequenting open woods rather than gardens, and 

 in this respect differing in habit from the allied species. I have never met with it 

 later than June, though Oleracea, in the Northern States, is most abundant after 

 that month and continues breeding till the early autumn frosts. 



I have received specimens of Virginiensis from Mr. Wm. Saunders of London, 

 Canada, and am informed by him that it is there a rare insect. 



The larvae of this group of Pieris feed upon garden vegetables, Brassica, Ra- 

 phanus. Nasturtium, and allied plants in a wild state, and are sometimes exceed- 

 ingly destructive. The female butterfly deposits great numbers of long slender 

 pointed eggs ujwn the under side of the leaves, often a score or more ujion a single 

 leaf. These eggs are greenish white in color, and stand at right angles to the 

 surface. To an inexperienced person they might seem to be eggs of some fly, or 

 the result of a disease of the leaf itself, but they would not be suspected to be the 

 eggs of any butterfly. 



In four or five days the young larvae emerge, one tenth of an inch in length, 

 green in color, requiring a keen sight to discover them. At once they attack the 

 leaf eating a small hole and to the margin of this they return when disposed to 

 feed till all the surrounding parts are eaten away. The large leaves of lioi^se rad- 

 ish may be seen entirely cousumed in this way leaving but ihe skeleton untouched. 



