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 433 - 456 of 11928 verified sightings
Observation date: May 21, 2022
Submitted by: CMarron216
Region: Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: May 21, 2022
Observation date: May 10, 2022
Submitted by: mtobin11
Region: Lake County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: May 19, 2022
Observation date: May 15, 2022
Submitted by: Marta Reece
Region: Grant County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: May 17, 2022
Observation date: May 11, 2022
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Charleston County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: May 13, 2022
Observation date: May 08, 2022
Submitted by: camflies
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 08, 2022
Observation date: Apr 23, 2022
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Hempstead County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: May 07, 2022
Observation date: Apr 27, 2022
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: McIntosh County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: May 07, 2022
Observation date: Apr 23, 2022
Submitted by: ezettler
Region: Alachua County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Apr 28, 2022
Observation date: Apr 17, 2022
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Apr 18, 2022
Observation date: Apr 12, 2022
Submitted by: tom nolan
Region: Burlington County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: Allen B
Verified date: Apr 18, 2022
Observation date: Apr 15, 2022
Submitted by: jmacmetro
Region: Bergen County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: Allen B
Verified date: Apr 18, 2022
Observation date: Mar 23, 2022
Submitted by: twofried
Region: Fort Bend County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Apr 12, 2022
Observation date: Apr 04, 2022
Submitted by: Gordon Berman
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Apr 05, 2022
Observation date: Mar 05, 2022
Submitted by: billd
Region: Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Apr 04, 2022
Observation date: Jul 24, 2017
Submitted by: Stéphan Ruest
Region: Quebec, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Apr 04, 2022
Observation date: Sep 16, 2019
Submitted by: Tiarelle
Region: Quebec, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Apr 04, 2022
Observation date: Mar 24, 2022
Submitted by: Gordon Berman
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Mar 26, 2022
Observation date: Mar 12, 2022
Submitted by: camflies
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Mar 13, 2022
Observation date: Oct 06, 2021
Submitted by: jamesvonloh
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Mar 04, 2022
Observation date: Aug 21, 2019
Submitted by: Victoire Batiste
Region: Nova Scotia, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Feb 27, 2022
Observation date: Aug 24, 2019
Submitted by: ovenbirder@gmail.com
Region: Nova Scotia, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Feb 27, 2022
Observation date: Aug 09, 2020
Submitted by: EPS
Region: Nova Scotia, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Feb 27, 2022
Observation date: Aug 26, 2016
Submitted by: iansftv
Region: San Francisco County, California, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Feb 26, 2022
Observation date: Apr 14, 2020
Submitted by: Supernovalove
Region: Sacramento County, California, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Feb 19, 2022
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