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 11868 verified sightings
Observation date: Sep 08, 2023
Submitted by: Rob Williams
Region: Leon County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 13, 2025
Observation date: May 26, 2025
Submitted by: Rob Williams
Region: Leon County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jul 12, 2025
Observation date: Oct 05, 2024
Submitted by: Daniel Morton
Region: Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 11, 2025
Observation date: Aug 04, 2024
Submitted by: Daniel Morton
Region: Morris County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 11, 2025
Observation date: Jun 15, 2024
Submitted by: Daniel Morton
Region: Sussex County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 11, 2025
Observation date: May 09, 2024
Submitted by: Daniel Morton
Region: Somerset County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 11, 2025
Observation date: Apr 22, 2024
Submitted by: Daniel Morton
Region: Union County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 11, 2025
Observation date: Apr 20, 2024
Submitted by: Daniel Morton
Region: New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 11, 2025
Observation date: Sep 30, 2018
Submitted by: Daniel Morton
Region: Somerset County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 11, 2025
Observation date: Apr 26, 2025
Submitted by: Daniel Morton
Region: Somerset County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 08, 2025
Observation date: Jul 03, 2025
Submitted by: Ennis_delmar
Region: Wayne County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 04, 2025
Observation date: Jun 22, 2025
Submitted by: jamesvonloh
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jun 26, 2025
Observation date: Jun 13, 2025
Submitted by: Lydiaak
Region: Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 26, 2025
Observation date: Jun 20, 2025
Submitted by: topper72
Region: Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jun 22, 2025
Observation date: May 16, 2025
Submitted by: mtobin11
Region: Lake County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 21, 2025
Observation date: May 23, 2025
Submitted by: Fladder
Region: Monterey County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 03, 2025
Observation date: May 28, 2025
Submitted by: pgrew1@unl.edu
Region: Penobscot County, Maine, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jun 01, 2025
Observation date: May 16, 2025
Submitted by: Alison Davies
Region: Lexington County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: May 29, 2025
Observation date: May 19, 2025
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Lassen County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 27, 2025
Observation date: May 20, 2025
Submitted by: FlutterbyNY631
Region: Suffolk County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: May 21, 2025
Observation date: May 14, 2025
Submitted by: SFellows
Region: Santa Rosa County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: May 21, 2025
Observation date: May 14, 2025
Submitted by: KShell
Region: Dixie County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: May 14, 2025
Observation date: May 10, 2025
Submitted by: Sheilabean
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 13, 2025
Observation date: May 06, 2025
Submitted by: Blablancwillis
Region: Douglas County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: May 07, 2025
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