Do cabbage whites like lettuce?

[Ereiki]

Hi all, I'm new at this, both Grapevine and veg gardening. I planted cauliflowers, lettuce, spinach beet and radishes and was congratulating myself smugly as they grew - until one day the enemy arrived. Cabbage white butterflies may be beautiful but they don't half make lace out of your caulis and spinach. I uprooted the caulis, which by now had produced little baby caulis which were great cooked with cumin. The spinach beet then got attacked so I've picked most of the leaves - but although I can't find any of the little blighters I note that the remaining leaves are still being attacked. I've now built the amazing construction for netting as described in the Youtube video - thanks to the person who posted that! But I'm now worried about netting caterpillars IN unless I rip out the spinach beet plants, which are still heroically producing leaves. Worse still, I now notice a very few tiny holes in my lovely lettuce. Don't cabbage white caterpillars know they've not supposed to like lettuce? Or are they now desperate for a good dinner? Or is this a completely different enemy? All help appreciated.

[Bigmallly]

Welcome to the vine Ereiki. It's not the butterflies you want to be worried about, it's the 100's of eggs that they lay which in turn hatch & destroy your veg. You will find them most under the leaves.

[Shadylane]

I've never had them attack spinach or beets before, or lettuce for that matter. I would think it's the slimey ones (slugs) that are eating your greenery. Bladdy things.

[PyreneesPlot]

I have small green caterpillars in my lettuce. They look a lot like the small cw. Hello, BTW

[Potstubsdustbins]

Yep I to have had my lettuce and Mesclun attacked this year, it seems a bad year all round for flutterbys.

Potty

[Ereiki]

The eggs have all hatched Bigmally (or rather the ones that weren't squashed by me..) and I'm not getting any more, but the caterpillars (from both the native & invasive cabbage whites) grow bigger by the day with appetites to match.

[Florence Fennel]

I've seen lots of cabbage whites this year and they're even laying eggs in the lawn. You'll have to do a regular patrol Ereiki looking under the leaves for the yellow eggs. Welcome to the Vine BTW

[Two_Sheds]

The spinach beet then got attacked ...I now notice a very few tiny holes in my lovely lettuce.

No, they don't eat lettuce or beet leaves. But snails do: I bet you it's baby snails or baby slugs