Cabbage White Butterfly

The Cabbage White, Pieris rapae rapae, was unintentionally introduced into Australia in the late 1930s. It is now well established along the whole eastern and southern coastlines.
For half a century
moving from garden to garden
round the east coast, the south coast—
picnickers on a summer's day
taking possession of a site,
taking their ease, feeding …
Erratic flutterers,
they are everywhere
in their untouchable moment,
each wing an albino leaf
smudged charcoal
at the tip.
From pale yellow egg,
green caterpillar, grey pupa
they come—a study in
unprotesting, predatory white.