Painted Lady
Vanessa cardui (Linnaeus, 1758)
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Nymphalinae
Identification: Upperside is orange-brown with darker wing bases; forewing with black apex patch and white bar on leading edge; hindwing submarginal row of 5 small black spots sometimes has blue scales. Underside has a black, brown, and gray pattern with 4 small submarginal eyespots.
Wing Span: 2 - 2 7/8 inches (5.1 - 7.3 cm).
Life History: Males perch and patrol during the afternoon for receptive females. In the West males usually perch on shrubs on hilltops, while in the East males perch on bare ground in open areas. Females lay eggs singly on the tops of host plant leaves. Caterpillars live in silk nests and eat leaves. Adults hibernate only in the South and in mild winters.
Flight: One to three flights in the East from May-October, three to four flights in South Texas from October-April.
Caterpillar Hosts: More than 100 host plants have been noted; favorites include thistles (Asteraceae), hollyhock and mallow (Malvaceae), and various legumes (Fabaceae).
Adult Food: The Painted Lady prefers nectar from composites 3-6 feet high, especially thistles; also aster, cosmos, blazing star, ironweed, and joe-pye weed. Flowers from other families that are visited include red clover, buttonbush, privet, and milkweeds.
Habitat: Almost everywhere, especially in open or disturbed areas including gardens, old fields, dunes.
Range: On all continents except Australia and Antarctica. From the deserts of northern Mexico, the Painted Lady migrates and temporarily colonizes the United States and Canada south of the Arctic. Occasionally, population explosions in Mexico will cause massive northward migrations. Comments: The Painted Lady is also known as the Thistle Butterfly because of the caterpillars' food preference and also as the Cosmopolitan because it is the most widely distributed butterfly in the world.
Conservation: Not required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 6867 verified sightings
Observation date: Apr 24, 2024
Submitted by: Cascade Colors
Region: Grand County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: May 07, 2024
Observation date: May 04, 2024
Submitted by: NikkiM
Region: Stillwater County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: May 07, 2024
Observation date: May 05, 2024
Submitted by: mstanek
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 06, 2024
Observation date: Apr 28, 2024
Submitted by: seemayer
Region: Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: May 01, 2024
Observation date: Apr 18, 2024
Submitted by: Martin Neil UK
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Apr 26, 2024
Observation date: Apr 25, 2024
Submitted by: DeepSkyKelly
Region: Colfax County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Apr 25, 2024
Observation date: Apr 18, 2024
Submitted by: RichHubie
Region: Mendocino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Apr 18, 2024
Observation date: Apr 06, 2024
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Logan County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Apr 16, 2024
Observation date: Apr 06, 2024
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Scott County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Apr 16, 2024
Observation date: Apr 16, 2024
Submitted by: lilkriskattn
Region: Texas, Montague County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Apr 16, 2024
Observation date: Nov 26, 2023
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: Pima County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Apr 16, 2024
Observation date: Apr 06, 2024
Submitted by: Emedina
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Apr 09, 2024
Observation date: Apr 03, 2024
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: San Luis Obispo County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Apr 04, 2024
Observation date: Oct 07, 2022
Submitted by: seemayer
Region: Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Apr 01, 2024
Observation date: Jul 16, 2017
Submitted by: Nannygoat
Region: Burnett County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Feb 28, 2024
Observation date: Feb 08, 2024
Submitted by: jmgesell
Region: Sarasota County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Feb 08, 2024
Observation date: Oct 01, 2023
Submitted by: Rick Sinnott
Region: Davidson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Jan 25, 2024
Observation date: Jul 20, 2017
Submitted by: Puccini
Region: Roberts County, South Dakota, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jan 18, 2024
Observation date: Aug 14, 2017
Submitted by: Puccini
Region: Day County, South Dakota, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jan 18, 2024
Observation date: Dec 30, 2023
Submitted by: tjunderwood
Region: Pima County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Jan 18, 2024
Observation date: Sep 12, 2017
Submitted by: rtrack
Region: Gogebic County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: elsner
Verified date: Jan 17, 2024
Observation date: Oct 07, 2023
Submitted by: ElizabethP
Region: San Francisco County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Dec 02, 2023
Observation date: Nov 24, 2023
Submitted by: Tashi Liem
Region: Santa Cruz County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Dec 01, 2023
Observation date: Nov 24, 2023
Submitted by: Tashi Liem
Region: Santa Cruz County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Dec 01, 2023
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