They also called their forged half-crowns large whites and forged shillings small whites.

It is black with a large white spot on the upperside of the hind wing and several smaller whites spots on the forewing.

There is extensive overlap with other leaf-feeding larvae of Large and Small Whites in some wild populations (e.g. in Morocco).

It is found in meadows, hedgerows and woodland glades but not as often in gardens and parks like its close relatives the Large and Small Whites, for which it is often mistaken.

They may have been small cabbage whites, rather than huge wing-beating swallowtails, but I did have butterflies in my stomach.