White Butterflies

The white butterflies can be difficult to tell apart particularly as they are usually flying about and don’t often sit still for long.

In Scotland there are 4 common types of white butterfly.  The orange tip male butterfly is easy to identify as it has orange wing tips, the female and the other types of whites are not so easy.  You can’t really go by size as the small and large white butterflies can vary in size, both small and large.

Green Veined Butterfly
Green Veined:  The green veined butterfly has greeny grey lines or veins branching out on it’s underwings, from the shoulder outwards.
Green Veined: White butterfly sitting on a purple knapweed flower among a brownish grassy field. Some green and a blue sky with clouds.

Orange Tip Butterfly
Orange Tip:  The orange tip male has orange wing tips the female does not.  They both have green camouflaged type markings on their underwings.
Orange Tip: Orange tip male and female butterfly among small white flowers called greater stitchwort, among the green blades of grass.


If the underwings are a creamy, yellowish or white colour but with no markings then it will be a small or large white.

Large White Butterfly
Large White:  Wingtips with black markings and the black mark continuing far along the outer edge of the wing.
Large White: White butterfly sitting on purple buddleia flower with green leafy background.

Small White Butterfly

Small White:  Markings lighter black or grey not so strong and don’t extend so far along the edge of the wing.

Small White: Markings lighter black or grey not so strong and don’t extend so far along the edge of the wing. Small White: White butterfly sitting with open wings on green plant leaves.

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