American Lady
Vanessa virginiensis (Drury, 1773)
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Nymphalinae
Identification: Upperside with uneven brown, yellow, and orange pattern. Forewing with a black apical patch, a small white spot in the orange field below the patch, and a white bar at the leading edge of the forewing. Underside of hindwing with two large eyespots. Winter form is smaller and paler, summer form larger with brighter coloring.
Wing Span: 1 3/4 - 2 5/8 inches (4.5 - 6.7 cm).
Life History: During the afternoon, males perch on hilltops or on low vegetation if there are no hills. Females lay eggs singly on the top of host plant leaves. Caterpillars are solitary, living and feeding in a nest of leaves tied with silk. Adults hibernate.
Flight: Three to four broods from May-November, all year in the Deep South and South Texas. It is not known if adults can survive very cold winters; the East may have to be recolonized each year by southern migrants.
Caterpillar Hosts: Plants in the sunflower family everlasting (Gnaphalium obtusifolium), pearly everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea), plantain-leaved pussy toes (Antennaria plantaginifolia), wormwood (Artemisia), ironweed (Vernonia), and burdock (Arctium).
Adult Food: Flower nectar almost exclusively, including dogbane, aster, goldenrod, marigold, selfheal, common milkweed, and vetch.
Habitat: Open places with low vegetation including dunes, meadows, parks, vacant lots, forest edges.
Range: Resident in the southern United States, Mexico, and Central America south to Colombia. Migrates to and temporarily colonizes the northern United States, southern Canada, the West Indies, and Europe. Rare stray to Newfoundland and Labrador.
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.
Comments: NULL
Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 10870 verified sightings
Observation date: Mar 14, 2019
Submitted by: Aggielacie
Region: Bexar County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Mar 24, 2019
Observation date: Mar 14, 2019
Submitted by: KateTweedy
Region: Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Mar 23, 2019
Observation date: Jul 29, 2018
Submitted by: stomlins701
Region: Elmore County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Mar 18, 2019
Observation date: Feb 06, 2019
Submitted by: rogerashton
Region: Cameron County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Feb 21, 2019
Observation date: Jan 23, 2019
Submitted by: gaylescout
Region: Hays County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jan 24, 2019
Observation date: Oct 29, 2018
Submitted by: ButterBelle
Region: Putnam County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Jan 19, 2019
Observation date: Jan 09, 2019
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jan 11, 2019
Observation date: Jul 09, 2018
Submitted by: storolaf
Region: Day County, South Dakota, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Dec 19, 2018
Observation date: Apr 18, 2018
Submitted by: Debo Boddiford
Region: Georgia, Treutlen County, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Dec 07, 2018
Observation date: Nov 18, 2018
Submitted by: satchmo0802
Region: Suffolk County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Nov 22, 2018
Observation date: Jan 29, 2016
Submitted by: marley
Region: Bexar County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Nov 16, 2018
Observation date: Oct 17, 2018
Submitted by: TrvlnWest
Region: Madison County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Nov 13, 2018
Observation date: Sep 25, 2018
Submitted by: HSVGardenGirl
Region: Saline County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Nov 02, 2018
Observation date: Oct 30, 2018
Submitted by: Jessica646
Region: Denton County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Oct 31, 2018
Observation date: Oct 24, 2018
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Charleston County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Oct 25, 2018
Observation date: Oct 14, 2016
Submitted by: mbalame99
Region: Clatsop County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 20, 2018
Observation date: Oct 05, 2018
Submitted by: Tony DeSantis
Region: Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Oct 18, 2018
Observation date: Jun 26, 2018
Submitted by: JG_Duquesnel
Region: Monroe County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Oct 13, 2018
Observation date: Sep 19, 2018
Submitted by: Jeff Trahan
Region: Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Oct 13, 2018
Observation date: Oct 12, 2018
Submitted by: TNKSC
Region: Cumberland County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Oct 12, 2018
Observation date: Jul 21, 2018
Submitted by: A_baldini
Region: Larimer County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Oct 11, 2018
Observation date: Oct 10, 2018
Submitted by: Jim Lowe
Region: Tompkins County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Oct 10, 2018
Observation date: Apr 20, 2017
Submitted by: hydapse
Region: Texas, Lee County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Oct 09, 2018
Observation date: Jul 08, 2018
Submitted by: Jeanne9953
Region: Westchester County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Oct 09, 2018
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