This butterfly, once common in southern England, became extinct in the British Isles around the 1920s probably through loss of habitat rather than collecting. In my youth therefore, I was determined to find a last remaining insect and spent many a day chasing whites to find that the black veins I thought I had seen were just well marked ones on a Green-veined White.

This was the first time I had seen it outside a museum and I hadn't realised that it is quite a large butterfly and that the black veins are obvious from quite a few metres away. Aporia crataegi has no other markings and could possibly be confused with the Clouded Apollo which also flies in this area.

Several species of butterfly were attracted to both the Cardamine raphanifolia (Radish-leaved Bittercress or Greater Cuckoo flower) and to the Echium vulgare (Viper's-bugloss).

Black-veined White Aporia crataegi Hills opposite Gèdre, French Pyrenees 13th June 2010 Previous   Next	Black-veined White Aporia crataegi Port D'Espagne, French Pyrenees 13th June 2010 Previous   Next	Black-veined Whites drinking Aporia crataegi Cimoliana valley, Dolomites Italy 26th June 2014 Previous   Next
Black-veined White on Viper's Bugloss	Black-veined White on Greater Cuckoo Flower	Black-veined Whites drinking

LHS: Hills near Gèdre 13th June RHS: Port De'Espagne 12th June, French Pyrenees 2009

Added on 17th June 2009, updated 3rd June 2010, updated 11th July 2014