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 49 - 72 of 6867 verified sightings
Observation date: Oct 29, 2023
Submitted by: Mzteachuh
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 30, 2023
Observation date: Oct 26, 2023
Submitted by: mohundrosmonarc...
Region: Ascension Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 26, 2023
Observation date: Oct 08, 2023
Submitted by: marshcosta
Region: Douglas County, Nebraska, United States
Verified by: Emily Geest
Verified date: Oct 24, 2023
Observation date: Oct 21, 2023
Submitted by: Seth Mueller
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 23, 2023
Observation date: Oct 21, 2023
Submitted by: Seth Mueller
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 23, 2023
Observation date: Oct 21, 2023
Submitted by: Seth Mueller
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 23, 2023
Observation date: Sep 03, 2023
Submitted by: NikkiM
Region: Stillwater County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Oct 23, 2023
Observation date: Oct 21, 2023
Submitted by: Seth Mueller
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 22, 2023
Observation date: Oct 13, 2023
Submitted by: NBeaty
Region: Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Oct 21, 2023
Observation date: Oct 17, 2023
Submitted by: Bob Jacobson
Region: Chippewa County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Oct 18, 2023
Observation date: Oct 06, 2023
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Oct 17, 2023
Observation date: Oct 15, 2023
Submitted by: rst12267
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 16, 2023
Observation date: Sep 30, 2023
Submitted by: Doug Nettleton
Region: Burnet County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 15, 2023
Observation date: Oct 14, 2023
Submitted by: Colleen K
Region: Robertson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Oct 14, 2023
Observation date: Oct 01, 2023
Submitted by: jallen
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Oct 12, 2023
Observation date: Sep 30, 2023
Submitted by: asombro_institute
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Oct 12, 2023
Observation date: Oct 08, 2023
Submitted by: mohundrosmonarc...
Region: St. Charles Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Oct 09, 2023
Observation date: Oct 06, 2023
Submitted by: zbeckb
Region: Hamilton County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Oct 08, 2023
Observation date: Sep 29, 2023
Submitted by: deedeepetersen
Region: Clallam County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Oct 01, 2023
Observation date: Sep 24, 2023
Submitted by: Crystal Rain-Fe...
Region: Greene County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 28, 2023
Observation date: Sep 22, 2023
Submitted by: donthatejustpol...
Region: King County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Sep 25, 2023
Observation date: Sep 24, 2023
Submitted by: Selina Barron
Region: Sacramento County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 24, 2023
Observation date: Sep 21, 2023
Submitted by: xBISsped6
Region: Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 22, 2023
Observation date: Sep 17, 2023
Submitted by: stomin50
Region: Utah County, Utah, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Sep 18, 2023
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