Florida White

Florida White

Glutophrissa drusilla

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve

In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%

5 Verified sightings at Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve From 2019 to 2026
87 In all 8 parks
October Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Florida White

Appias drusilla, the Florida white or tropical white, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found in tropical America from Brazil north to southern peninsular Florida and the Florida Keys and Antilles. It frequently visits coastal Texas and is a rare stray to Nebraska and Colorado. The habitat consists of tropical lowland evergreen or semideciduous forests.

The wingspan is 53–77 mm (2.1–3.0 in). Males are solid white on both the upper and lower surfaces of the wings except for a narrow edging of black along the forewing costal margin. The female has two forms: the dry-season form is all white and the wet-season form has black along the forewing costal margin and a yellow-orange upper hindwing. The dry-season form is on wing from October to April and the wet-season form from May to September. They feed on flower nectar from a variety of weeds and garden plants including Lantana and Eupatorium.

The larvae feed on glucosinolate-containing plant species from the Capparaceae, Cleomaceae, and Putranjivaceae families (excluding Brassicaceae), including Drypetes lateriflora and Capparis flexuosa in Florida. They are shade loving and feed during the night and on cloudy... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~20%
2 Yasuní National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~10%
3 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
4 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
5 Iguazú National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~10%
6 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
7 Iguaçu National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
8 Cumbres de Monterrey National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Santa Cruz de la Sierra 🇧🇴 Bolivia
~20%
2 Vitória 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
3 San Pedro Sula 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
4 Santo Domingo 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
~10%
5 Monterrey 🇲🇽 México
<5%
6 Rio de Janeiro 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
7 Guadalajara 🇲🇽 México
<5%
8 Mexico City 🇲🇽 México
<5%
9 São Paulo 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Florida White in Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Florida White sighting in Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 4th most-seen of the 7 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Florida White in Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve?

October and November

In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Florida White in Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in June, September and December–April, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Florida White?

Between noon and 3 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Florida White sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve the best place to see a Florida White?

Yes

Of the 8 parks where we can rate Florida White sightings, Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Yasuní National Park (Ecuador, about 10%) and Calakmul Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Florida White live in Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve?

Same order: Lepidoptera

The closest relatives of the Florida White that you can see in Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve (order Lepidoptera, Butterflies and Moths) are Banded Peacock (about 30%), Many-Banded Daggerwing (about 30%) and Julia Heliconian (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Florida White sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Florida White is recorded against all the insects logged in Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve (5 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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