The large white is common throughout Europe, north Africa, and Asia to the Himalayas.
    In 2010 the butterfly was found in Nelson, New Zealand where it is known as the Great White butterfly.
   It was classed as an unwanted pest due to the potential effect on crops.
   For a limited period in October 2013 ​the
 Department of Conservation offered a monetary reward for the capture of these butterflies. 
   After two weeks, the public had captured 134 butterflies, netting $10 for each one handed in.
   As a result of this and other containment measures, such as over 263,000 searches in the upper South Island and the release of predatory wasps, the Large White was declared to be eradicated from New Zealand as of December 2014.
   For both males and females, the wings are white with black tips on the forewings.

   The female also has two black spots on each forewing.

   The underside of each wing is a pale green and serves as camouflage when at rest.

   The black markings are usually darker in the summer brood.

   The female Large White butterfly has two large black spots on both sides of each forewing which are absent from the dorsal surface of the males.

   It is most easily identified from other common white butterflies: i.e. - The Small White, Green-veined White and female Orange-tip Butterfly by its larger size, having a wingspan of up to 55mm and the extensive black tips to its forewings.

   In the British Isles it is double brooded with the female laying eggs anytime between March and October.

   Most eggs are laid during July and August when the numbers of resident butterflies may be increased significantly by migrants arriving from Europe.

      Because of its migratory nature, this species can be found almost anywhere; however, it does show a preference for cultivated areas, where species of Brassicaceae are cultivated, and also in urban gardens. In Europe, small populations still breed along sea cliffs, in large woodland clearings and on steep rocky hillsides, which appear to have been the original habitats of this species.