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 385 - 408 of 11928 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 16, 2022
Submitted by: Olive C
Region: Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Jul 24, 2022
Observation date: Jul 22, 2022
Submitted by: jhdwelly
Region: Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 23, 2022
Observation date: Jun 06, 2022
Submitted by: mbroen
Region: St. Croix County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 20, 2022
Observation date: Jun 16, 2022
Submitted by: mbroen
Region: St. Croix County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 20, 2022
Observation date: Jun 11, 2022
Submitted by: Christine Stanke
Region: Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 20, 2022
Observation date: Jun 24, 2022
Submitted by: Christine Stanke
Region: Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 20, 2022
Observation date: Jul 09, 2022
Submitted by: Bob Jacobson
Region: Chippewa County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 20, 2022
Observation date: Oct 14, 2021
Submitted by: John LeBlanc
Region: Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: BAMONA
Verified date: Jul 17, 2022
Observation date: Jul 09, 2022
Submitted by: Joshua C
Region: Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 13, 2022
Observation date: Jun 24, 2022
Submitted by: rhedden
Region: Rensselaer County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 12, 2022
Observation date: Jul 07, 2022
Submitted by: pkondrashov
Region: Knox County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jul 10, 2022
Observation date: Jul 09, 2022
Submitted by: Froth812
Region: Nassau County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 10, 2022
Observation date: Jul 06, 2022
Submitted by: maryjanzen
Region: Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 07, 2022
Observation date: Jun 05, 2022
Submitted by: camflies
Region: Santa Barbara County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 06, 2022
Observation date: Jul 02, 2022
Submitted by: guy_incognito
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 03, 2022
Observation date: Jul 02, 2022
Submitted by: Ed Harrison
Region: Saratoga County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 03, 2022
Observation date: Jul 02, 2022
Submitted by: ezeemonee
Region: Kern County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 03, 2022
Observation date: Jun 30, 2022
Submitted by: pkondrashov
Region: Adair County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jul 03, 2022
Observation date: Jun 27, 2022
Submitted by: TarolSamuelson
Region: Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jun 29, 2022
Observation date: Jun 25, 2022
Submitted by: Team-Chick
Region: Virginia, York County, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jun 25, 2022
Observation date: Aug 15, 2021
Submitted by: John LeBlanc
Region: Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jun 24, 2022
Observation date: Jun 19, 2022
Submitted by: Glenn H Thompson
Region: Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jun 22, 2022
Observation date: Jul 12, 2021
Submitted by: bknupp
Region: Rockingham County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jun 21, 2022
Observation date: Jul 21, 2021
Submitted by: Victoria Molnar
Region: New Kent County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jun 21, 2022
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