Whenever I think of butterflies, some words come to mind: ephemeral, graceful, fragile, and colorful. The Checkered white (Pontia protodice) certainly checks three of those qualifiers. To say they are “colorful,” however, may be a stretch. They are not bright like Monarchs, Queens, or Swallowtails.
During the warmer months, they are typically whiter with less extensive dark markings on the underside of their wings. While the human eye sees Checkered whites as mostly black and white or brown and white, in reality, these butterflies have hidden colors that we cannot see. Those hidden colors are used to attract mates.
An adult Checkered white typically has a wingspan of 1.25 to 2.00 inches (3.17 to 5.08 cm). They love open, dry, and disturbed habitats. That makes it easier for us to spot them.
Another common name for a Checkered white is Southern cabbage butterfly. The photos I shared here are likely all females, based on the number of wing marks. Males are generally more white and display fewer marks.
That is the story behind the shots. If you liked this post, you may also be interested in others featuring Butterfly, Checkered white, Sunday Stills, Texas, and Wildlife. Until the next time, keep clicking and capturing the beauty your eyes find.
For Terri’s Sunday Stills Monthly Color Challenge: Fade to Brown and Gray.
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nesfelicio
Beautiful photos. And interesting info about butterfly colors!
Egidio Leitao
Thanks, Nes.
Wandering Dawgs
Egidio, you have captured this butterfly beautifully. I’ve never seen one of these.
Egídio
Thanks, Beth. They are really pretty.
Amy
What a wonderful set of nature minimalism images!
Egidio Leitao
Thanks, Amy. I turned the backgrounds into monochromes to match the simple butterfly colors.
Leanne Cole
I love butterflies, but never seem to be able to photograph them, I am very envious of yours.
Egidio Leitao
Thanks, Leanne. Sometimes they can be so difficult to capture in a shot. I often have to use the camera’s burst mode to capture several images.
Anne Sandler
What a beautiful butterfly, and well done Egidio!
Egidio Leitao
Thanks, Anne.
Steve Schwartzman
It’s interesting that you presented the photographs in monochrome. Did you also darken the backgrounds to make the butterflies stand out more?
Egidio Leitao
I wanted to stay close to the challenge theme: fade to brown and gray. The butterfly already had plenty of gray. So, the BG was turned to a brown shade. Yes, I darkened the BG for the reasons you mentioned.
margaret21
What photos! Splendid!
Egidio Leitao
Thanks for these kind words, Margaret. Much gratitude.
margaret21
😊