When in flight the Green-Veined White is easy to confuse with its close relative the Small White, as they have very similar upper wing markings (particularly the female, as here) and a yellow dusting on the underwing
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When at rest however they can be distinguished by the thickened triangles at the tips of the wing veins
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The markings on first-brood females are quite different however, being more "dusky" overall but with the veins much more distinctly defined
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If the wings are closed the very distinctive dark underwing markings make identification obvious. The veining is particularly heavy in the male (as here), who has no black spots on the upper wing
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Well - not usually, anyway! In fact these small dots are just "natural variation" - the Green-Veined White is one of the more variable of British butterflies
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A more classically-marked (or should that be "unmarked"?) male
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