American Painted Lady Butterfly - Vanessa virginiensis

American Painted Lady Butterfly - Vanessa virginiensis
Species Vanessa virginiensis (Drury) -- American painted lady, painted beauty
Order Lepidoptera / Suborder Macrolepidoptera / Superfamily Papilionoidea butterflies, papillons, mariposa, tagfalter, schmetterlinge /Family Nymphalidae
Live adult butterflies photographed in the wild at Winfield IL USA.


	American Painted Lady Butterfly - Vanessa virginiensis

The American painted lady is perhaps the most cold tolerant of all the painted ladies and their close relative, the Red Admiral. It is believed many of these butterflies are able to overwinter, even in the northern U.S. While common in the East, its numbers never seem very large in any particular area; In much of the west, its appearance is completely unpredictable. It is an avid flower-visitor and can often be found in gardens with butterfly bushes. The American painted lady used to be called Vanessa huntera,

Similar species: Painted Lady has smaller eyespots below. West Coast Lady has orange bar across black patch.
Life Cycle: Barrel-shaped pale green eggs are laid singly on thistle (Cirsium), Aster or mallow. Caterpillars range up to 1¼"(35mm). Their color varies from purple with yellow back stripe to chartreuse with black marbled appearance. Chrysalis 1" (25mm) pale green to brown, bumpy, hangs upside down.
Flight: Two or more broods; year-round in south, April-June until frost in north. Habitat: Anywhere; Meadows, fields, open areas.

References

1. Opler, Paul A., Harry Pavulaan, Ray E. Stanford, Michael Pogue, coordinators. 2006. Butterflies and Moths of North America. Bozeman, MT: NBII Mountain Prairie Information Node. http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=1461

Northern Pearly Eye
Enodia anthedon

Gulf Fritillary
Agraulis vanillae

Painted Lady
Vanessa cardui

Orange Sulphur
Colias eurytheme

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