The under side of both sexes is most beautifully marked—the fore wings resembling the upper sides, but the hind pair chequered with a beautiful soft green on a pale yellow ground.
The eggs of this insect are deposited during April and May, and again in August or September—for it is, like the other 'Whites,' double-brooded—on two species of Wild Mignonette (Reseda lutea and R. luteola).
The caterpillars, which are of a bluish colour, with two yellow stripes down the back, and two others along the sides, may be looked for in June and September. Those of the first brood only have been taken in this country, while the others on the Continent change to the chrysalis in the autumn, and hybernate in this state throughout the winter.
The chrysalis is of a brownish colour, and closely resembles that of the Small White in form.
Those in search of this rare British insect should wander along the south-east coast, and net all the doubtful slow-flying small Whites (Daplidice is rather slow and heavy on the wing), and their perseverance may be rewarded with a prize that will ever be a reminder of a glorious catch and an eventful day. If you fail in this, and most probably you will, rather than remain a stranger to this beautiful and interesting insect, fill up the blank in your cabinet with a foreign specimen, which can be obtained at any time for a few pence, but be careful to label it 'not British,' in order
that your brother collectors may not be deceived, or be led to make any unnecessary inquiries.
The Orange Tip (Euchloë Cardamines)
No one could possibly mistake the male of this species for any other British butterfly, the popular name alone giving quite sufficient information for its identification, but the female Orange Tip is not tipped with orange, and its markings, both above and beneath, resemble those of Daplidice so nearly that the same written description might apply almost equally well to both.
On [Plate I] (fig. 7) is shown the upper side of the male, and just opposite it (fig. 8) the under surface of the same. The female is usually a little larger than her mate, and is marked similarly on both sides except that the bright orange blotch is entirely wanting. She may always be distinguished from Daplidice by the smaller size of the white spots that break the dark blotch at the tip of the fore wing; also by the very small size of the dark spot in the centre of the same wing. The green chequerings of the under side of the hind wings are also more sharply defined, and the insect is generally of a lighter build.
Like many other butterflies, the Orange Tip is subject to variations in colouring. Sometimes a pale but bright yellow takes the place of the white ground, and the orange blotch of the male is occasionally present on the upper or lower surface only.