Southern Pearl-white Elodina angulipennis
Wingspan: 37 - 38 mm
Sighted at Claire Cottage: September, October, December & February
Distribution: S.E. QLD, N.E. NSW south to Sydney
Status Claire Cottage: uncommon
Status Dorrigo Plateau: thought to be uncommon
Similar species: Two other Pearl-whites, Elodina parthia and Elodina padusa, may also be found on the Plateau. Correct identification in flight is very difficult. A good photograph at rest removes most doubt. Occassionally Cabbage Whites are a similar small size, they can be identified in flight by the black spots on their forewings showing on both upper and undersides.
Wingspan: 37 - 38 mm
Sighted at Claire Cottage: September, October, December & February
Distribution: S.E. QLD, N.E. NSW south to Sydney
Status Claire Cottage: uncommon
Status Dorrigo Plateau: thought to be uncommon
Similar species: Two other Pearl-whites, Elodina parthia and Elodina padusa, may also be found on the Plateau. Correct identification in flight is very difficult. A good photograph at rest removes most doubt. Occassionally Cabbage Whites are a similar small size, they can be identified in flight by the black spots on their forewings showing on both upper and undersides.
Southern Pearl-white Elodina angulipennis
Wingspan: 37 - 38 mm
Sighted at Claire Cottage: September, October, December & February
Distribution: S.E. QLD, N.E. NSW south to Sydney
Status Claire Cottage: uncommon (an infrequent visitor)
Status Dorrigo Plateau: thought to be uncommon
Similar species: Two other Pearl-whites, Elodina parthia and Elodina padusa, may also be found on the Plateau. Correct identification in flight is very difficult. A good photograph at rest removes most doubt. Occassionally Cabbage Whites are a similar small size, they can be identified in flight by the black spots on their forewings showing on both upper and undersides.
Butterfly Sightings
* CLAIRE COTTAGE: : Sept 2006 (3) Oct 2005, 2006, 2011, 2018, 2019, Dec 2022, Feb 2006, 2018;
* DORRIGO PLATEAU: None to date
* ELSEWHERE: Forestville, Sydney in Nov 2020, Mar 2021
Larva Sightings:
Egg Sightings:
Larval food plants:
Larval Food Plant experience: .
We planted 3 Capparis arborea in our previous garden in Forestville, Sydney in the 1980's & 1990's, they are all maturing well. We are attempting to also grow them here at a much higher altitude, 800 metres with less success so far. C. arborea is usually a slow growing tree and appears even slower growing at altitude where it also has to contend with cold winters including frost. We planted 6 young trees over time at Claire Cottage with only 3 still alive 10 years later. They have proved extremely slow growing and may not develop in to mature trees.
Colonising: Southern Pearl-whites took fifteen years to discover and then start a colony on the Capparis arborea trees we planted in our Forestville, Sydney garden. It was as if they wanted our trees to reach a certain maturity before they would deposit eggs on them. Prior to this colony establishing the only known Sydney colony was in the Sydney Botanical Gardens. Later another colony developed on a Capparis arborea planted in an Avalon, Sydney garden. Sadly because of Capparis arborea's slow growth on the Plateau we expect to be waiting a long time before seeing a colony develop on our Claire Cottage property trees. Adults flying in Forestville end November 2020.
Interesting Observation: 17/12/22 - Whilst walking with rainforest friends towards our Rainforest Arboretum zone today we noticed a small white butterfly sitting on a live but leafless Caper tree*. We photographed it for formal ID later and confirmed it as a Southern Pearl-white. Later in the day we noticed it was still flying around the small leafless Caper tree (Caper White larva had devoured its leaves) and settling on the grass under the tree. A check then discovered eggs being laid on the grass. We decided to attempt to raise larva from these eggs, should they prove to be fertile - later confirmed they were..
* This sighting indicated the female butterfly was able to locate her food plant, even though it was leafless, suggesting her ability to identify her food plant chemical/s, whilst still airborne, is derived from the tree itself. Our belief previously was that this recognition was always via the leaves and was confirmed by the female alighting on a leaf and sensing the chemicals being given off by the leaf.
Flight habit: Throughout the day.
First warm season sighting - Claire Cottage:
Last warm season sighting - Claire Cottage, Dorrigo Plateau: 00/02/18,
Habitat where found at Claire Cottage: Rainforest edge
Thought to be breeding at Claire Cottage: No
Wingspan: 37 - 38 mm
Sighted at Claire Cottage: September, October, December & February
Distribution: S.E. QLD, N.E. NSW south to Sydney
Status Claire Cottage: uncommon (an infrequent visitor)
Status Dorrigo Plateau: thought to be uncommon
Similar species: Two other Pearl-whites, Elodina parthia and Elodina padusa, may also be found on the Plateau. Correct identification in flight is very difficult. A good photograph at rest removes most doubt. Occassionally Cabbage Whites are a similar small size, they can be identified in flight by the black spots on their forewings showing on both upper and undersides.
Butterfly Sightings
* CLAIRE COTTAGE: : Sept 2006 (3) Oct 2005, 2006, 2011, 2018, 2019, Dec 2022, Feb 2006, 2018;
* DORRIGO PLATEAU: None to date
* ELSEWHERE: Forestville, Sydney in Nov 2020, Mar 2021
Larva Sightings:
- CLAIRE COTTAGE: None to date
- DORRIGO PLATEAU: None to date
- ELSEWHERE: Forestville, Sydney Nov 2022
Egg Sightings:
- CLAIRE COTTAGE: None to date
- DORRIGO PLATEAU: None to date
- ELSEWHERE: Mar 2021 & Nov 2022, Forestville, Sydney
Larval food plants:
- CLAIRE COTTAGE: CAPPARACEAE: Capparis arborea,
- DORRIGO PLATEAU: (as for Claire Cottage)
- ELSEWHERE: CAPPARACEAE: as for Claire Cottage plus, Capparis canescens, C. velutina
Larval Food Plant experience: .
We planted 3 Capparis arborea in our previous garden in Forestville, Sydney in the 1980's & 1990's, they are all maturing well. We are attempting to also grow them here at a much higher altitude, 800 metres with less success so far. C. arborea is usually a slow growing tree and appears even slower growing at altitude where it also has to contend with cold winters including frost. We planted 6 young trees over time at Claire Cottage with only 3 still alive 10 years later. They have proved extremely slow growing and may not develop in to mature trees.
Colonising: Southern Pearl-whites took fifteen years to discover and then start a colony on the Capparis arborea trees we planted in our Forestville, Sydney garden. It was as if they wanted our trees to reach a certain maturity before they would deposit eggs on them. Prior to this colony establishing the only known Sydney colony was in the Sydney Botanical Gardens. Later another colony developed on a Capparis arborea planted in an Avalon, Sydney garden. Sadly because of Capparis arborea's slow growth on the Plateau we expect to be waiting a long time before seeing a colony develop on our Claire Cottage property trees. Adults flying in Forestville end November 2020.
Interesting Observation: 17/12/22 - Whilst walking with rainforest friends towards our Rainforest Arboretum zone today we noticed a small white butterfly sitting on a live but leafless Caper tree*. We photographed it for formal ID later and confirmed it as a Southern Pearl-white. Later in the day we noticed it was still flying around the small leafless Caper tree (Caper White larva had devoured its leaves) and settling on the grass under the tree. A check then discovered eggs being laid on the grass. We decided to attempt to raise larva from these eggs, should they prove to be fertile - later confirmed they were..
* This sighting indicated the female butterfly was able to locate her food plant, even though it was leafless, suggesting her ability to identify her food plant chemical/s, whilst still airborne, is derived from the tree itself. Our belief previously was that this recognition was always via the leaves and was confirmed by the female alighting on a leaf and sensing the chemicals being given off by the leaf.
Flight habit: Throughout the day.
First warm season sighting - Claire Cottage:
Last warm season sighting - Claire Cottage, Dorrigo Plateau: 00/02/18,
Habitat where found at Claire Cottage: Rainforest edge
Thought to be breeding at Claire Cottage: No