[1] Most pierid butterflies are white, yellow, or orange in coloration, often with black spots.

The pigments that give the distinct coloring to these butterflies are derived from waste products in the body and are a characteristic of this family.

The name "butterfly" is believed to have originated from a member of this family, the brimstone, Gonepteryx rhamni, which was called the "butter-coloured fly" by early British naturalists.

Males of many species exhibit gregarious mud-puddling behavior when they may imbibe salts from moist soils.

But some species such as the madrone butterfly that belong to this family do not shows the presence of this abdominal silk girdle.