The Becker's White, Great Basin White, or Sagebrush White (Pontia beckerii) is a butterfly

Butterfly

A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...

 in the family Pieridae

Pieridae

The Pieridae are a large family of butterflies with about 76 genera containing approximately 1,100 species, mostly from tropical Africa and Asia. Most pierid butterflies are white, yellow or orange in coloration, often with black spots...

. It is found in western USA to Baja California

Baja California

Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...

 and in southern British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

.

It is mostly white with small black markings; females have more dark markings. Similar to other checkered whites such as, Pontia sisymbrii

Pontia sisymbrii

The Spring White, California White, or Colorado White is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in mountainous areas of western Canada and the USA....

, Pontia protodice

Pontia protodice

The Checkered White , also called Southern Cabbage Butterfly, is a common North American butterfly in the family Pieridae. Its green larva is a type of cabbage worm.- Description :...

, and Pontia occidentalis

Pontia occidentalis

The Western White is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in Western North America.The wingspan is 38 to 53 millimeters. The host plants are from the Brassicaceae family. The caterpillars eat especially the flowers, buds and fruit...

.

The wingspan

Wingspan

The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...

 is 33 to 48 millimeters.

The host plants are Isomeris arborea, Stanleya pinnata

Stanleya pinnata

Stanleya pinnata, also known as Prince's Plume, is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name desert princesplume. It is native to the western United States, where it occurs in many types of open habitat, including deserts, foothills, rocky cliffs, sagebrush, and...

, Brassica nigra

Brassica nigra

Brassica nigra is an annual weedy plant cultivated for its seeds, which are commonly used as a spice.-Description:...

, Descurainia pinnata

Descurainia pinnata

Descurainia pinnata is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name western tansymustard. It is native to North America, where it is widespread and found in varied habitats. It is especially successful in deserts. It is a hardy plant which easily becomes weedy, and...

, Sisymbrium altissimum

Sisymbrium altissimum

Sisymbrium altissimum is a species of Sisymbrium. The plant is native to the western part of the Mediterranean Basin in Europe and Northern Africa and is widely naturalized throughout most of the world, including all of North America. It was probably introduced into North America by a contaminant...

, Lepidium perfoliatum

Lepidium perfoliatum

Lepidium perfoliatum is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name clasping pepperweed. It is native to Europe and Asia and it can be found in other parts of the world as an introduced species....

, Brassica nigra

Brassica nigra

Brassica nigra is an annual weedy plant cultivated for its seeds, which are commonly used as a spice.-Description:...

, Schoenocrambe linifolia, Thelypodium sagittatum, and Thelypodium laciniatum

Thelypodium laciniatum

Thelypodium laciniatum is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name cutleaf thelypody. It is native to western North America, particularly the Great Basin and surrounding plateau and foothill habitat, where it grows in sagebrush, scrub and rocky hillsides. It is a...

.

External links

• Becker's White, Butterflies and Moths of North-America