About Glutophrissa drusilla (Cramer, 1777)
Glutophrissa drusilla, also known as Appias drusilla, is commonly called the Florida white or tropical white, a butterfly species belonging to the family Pieridae. This species is found in tropical America, ranging from Brazil northward to southern peninsular Florida, the Florida Keys, and the Antilles. It frequently visits coastal Texas, and is a rare stray to Nebraska and Colorado. Its habitat consists of tropical lowland evergreen or semideciduous forests. The wingspan of this butterfly measures 53–77 mm (2.1–3.0 in). Males have solid white colouring on both the upper and lower surfaces of their wings, with only a narrow black edging along the forewing costal margin. Females have two distinct forms: the dry-season form is entirely all white, while the wet-season form has black along the forewing costal margin and a yellow-orange upper hindwing. Adults of the dry-season form are on wing from October to April, and adults of the wet-season form are on wing from May to September. Adult butterflies feed on flower nectar from a variety of weeds and garden plants, including Lantana and Eupatorium. The larvae feed on Brassicaceae species, including Drypetes lateriflora and Capparis flexuosa in Florida. This species prefers shade, and larvae feed during the night and on cloudy days.
