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Becker's White (Pontia beckerii [W. H. Edwards])
Wing span: 1 5/8 - 2 inches (4 - 5 cm).
Identification: Upperside of both male and female is white, with black spots near tip of forewing. Inside the forewing cell is a square black bar with a curved white center. The underside of the hindwing of both sexes has wide green edging along the veins, confined by a white median band.
Life history: Males patrol ravines in search of females. Females lay eggs singly on host stems, buds, leaves, flowers, and fruits.
Flight: Several flights from March-October.
Caterpillar hosts: Plants of mustard (Brassicaceae) family including mustards (Brassica), and hedge mustard (Sisymbrium) species; and bladder-pod (Isomeris arborea) in the caper family (Capparidaceae).
Adult food: Flower nectar including hedge mustard and alfalfa.
Habitat: Arid brushlands, desert foothills and canyons, fields.
Range: British Columbia and Alberta south to Baja California; east of the Cascades and Sierra Nevada, east and south to western Montana and New Mexico.
Conservation: Not required.
Management needs: None required.
The Nature Conservancy Global Rank: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
References:
Scott, J. A. 1986. The butterflies of North America. Stanford University
Press, Stanford, Calif. 583 pages, 64 color plates.
Tilden, J. W. 1986. A field guide to western butterflies. Houghton-Mifflin
Co., Boston, Mass. 370 pages, 23 color plates.
Author: Jane M. Struttmann
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 1999 -
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