Given a good view, the Green-striped white is impossible to confuse with any other mainland European butterfly. The tiger stripes on the underside, perfectly matching the pattern of the milk thistle on which it often settles, are absolutely distinctive. They show through to the upperside too, though very faintly - a useful thing to look for when close approach to a settled butterfly is impossible. The wings also always look more pointy to me than those of western dappled white, with which it often flies, and it is typically a slightly smaller insect.

What used to be considered the Canary Island subspecies of this butterfly, E. belemia hesperidum, is now considered a distinct species, E. hesperidum. It is very similar but there is no distributional overlap. In North Africa another green-striped white flies, E. falloui, the scarce green-striped white. This has a smaller discoidal spot, especially in the male, clearly separated from the costa and lacking the white centre of green-striped white.

Green-striped whites are bivoltine, flying from February to early June. The larvae feed on Biscutella laevigata and other Brassicaceae. It hibernates as a pupa.