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.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 11898 verified sightings
Observation date: Nov 05, 2025
Submitted by: AzarNick
Region: Pettis County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Nov 06, 2025
Observation date: Nov 03, 2025
Submitted by: topper72
Region: Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Nov 06, 2025
Observation date: Aug 09, 2025
Submitted by: tnjbodker
Region: Roane County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 24, 2025
Observation date: Aug 17, 2025
Submitted by: AJ Trently
Region: Decatur County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 24, 2025
Observation date: Aug 23, 2025
Submitted by: tnjbodker
Region: Roane County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 24, 2025
Observation date: Oct 23, 2025
Submitted by: Team Kweeper
Region: Sacramento County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 23, 2025
Observation date: Sep 04, 2025
Submitted by: Luna-Linuche.76
Region: Klamath County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 19, 2025
Observation date: Oct 12, 2025
Submitted by: mstanek
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 13, 2025
Observation date: Oct 08, 2025
Submitted by: drmarc60223
Region: La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Oct 12, 2025
Observation date: Oct 02, 2025
Submitted by: jmgesell
Region: Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Oct 03, 2025
Observation date: Sep 02, 2025
Submitted by: sandyleapt
Region: Benton County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Sep 24, 2025
Observation date: Jun 07, 2023
Submitted by: beverlynantz
Region: Harlan County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 15, 2025
Observation date: Sep 13, 2025
Submitted by: Blue Swallowtail
Region: Adams County, Nebraska, United States
Verified by: Emily Geest
Verified date: Sep 15, 2025
Observation date: Jun 01, 2025
Submitted by: hsmarshall
Region: Humphreys County, Mississippi, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Sep 10, 2025
Observation date: Sep 01, 2025
Submitted by: gjkoppel
Region: Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 02, 2025
Observation date: Aug 31, 2025
Submitted by: cjgoin
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Aug 31, 2025
Observation date: Jun 18, 2025
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Santa Barbara County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 30, 2025
Observation date: Aug 22, 2025
Submitted by: Christine Stanke
Region: Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 29, 2025
Observation date: Aug 22, 2025
Submitted by: Robert Schoenberg
Region: Cumberland County, Maine, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 26, 2025
Observation date: Mar 23, 2025
Submitted by: hasfitz5
Region: Contra Costa County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 21, 2025
Observation date: Aug 19, 2025
Submitted by: prairie fairie
Region: Sherburne County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 20, 2025
Observation date: Aug 13, 2025
Submitted by: Meslerm
Region: Humboldt County, California, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 15, 2025
Observation date: Aug 07, 2025
Submitted by: Daniel Morton
Region: Lincoln County, Maine, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 09, 2025
Observation date: Jul 25, 2025
Submitted by: mywingedphotos
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 06, 2025
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