Wood white butterfly

Description

Leptidea sinapis,or the wood white butterfly of the Pieridae family,is a small white butterfly that is mainly found in England,Ireland,and Northern Europe.The butterfly has white wings with grey or yellow markings near the center or tip of the wing.It flies slowly and low over its shrubbery habitat.Males initiate courtship with females and can mate multiply,while females tend to only mate once in their lifetime.The wood white was added to the UK BAP Priority Species list in 2005 due to a substantial decline in the population,especially in England.This decline has been attributed to changes in woodland regions,including increased shade due to tree planting,and the failure to maintain woodland rides in a satisfactory way for wood whites to oviposit.Conservation efforts are currently striving to understand how to best maintain woodland regions and are examining the effect of climate change (particularly during the winter months) on egg survival.