- Lifespan
- 2–6 weeks as an adult butterfly; caterpillars develop over several weeks depending on temperature and season
- Size & Weight
- Wingspan 40–50 mm
- Habitat
- Open grasslands, meadows, woodland edges, parks, gardens, and disturbed ground with cruciferous plants; typically found from lowland to upland areas.
- UK Distribution
- Common and widespread throughout the UK, including Scotland and northern England; resident year-round with multiple generations, though numbers increase in spring and summer.
- Diet
- Adults feed on nectar from a wide variety of flowers including dandelions, thistocks, bird's-foot trefoil, and other wildflowers; caterpillars feed exclusively on cruciferous plants.
- Predators
- Spiders, robber flies, birds (particularly flycatchers), and small mammals preying on caterpillars; parasitic wasps and flies target eggs and larvae.
- Mating Season
- March to September, with peak activity April to August
- Breeding
- Females lay eggs singly on host plants; typically 2–3 generations per year in the UK, occasionally 4 in warm years; caterpillars take 2–4 weeks to develop depending on temperature.
- Behaviour
- Males actively patrol for females in sunshine, flying low over vegetation with characteristic fluttering flight. Adults rest with wings closed vertically. The species is highly adaptable and tolerates a range of habitats, making it one of Britain's most successful butterflies.