Painted Lady
Vanessa cardui (Linnaeus, 1758)
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Nymphalinae
Identification: Upperside is orange-brown with darker wing bases; forewing with black apex patch and white bar on leading edge; hindwing submarginal row of 5 small black spots sometimes has blue scales. Underside has a black, brown, and gray pattern with 4 small submarginal eyespots.
Wing Span: 2 - 2 7/8 inches (5.1 - 7.3 cm).
Life History: Males perch and patrol during the afternoon for receptive females. In the West males usually perch on shrubs on hilltops, while in the East males perch on bare ground in open areas. Females lay eggs singly on the tops of host plant leaves. Caterpillars live in silk nests and eat leaves. Adults hibernate only in the South and in mild winters.
Flight: One to three flights in the East from May-October, three to four flights in South Texas from October-April.
Caterpillar Hosts: More than 100 host plants have been noted; favorites include thistles (Asteraceae), hollyhock and mallow (Malvaceae), and various legumes (Fabaceae).
Adult Food: The Painted Lady prefers nectar from composites 3-6 feet high, especially thistles; also aster, cosmos, blazing star, ironweed, and joe-pye weed. Flowers from other families that are visited include red clover, buttonbush, privet, and milkweeds.
Habitat: Almost everywhere, especially in open or disturbed areas including gardens, old fields, dunes.
Range: On all continents except Australia and Antarctica. From the deserts of northern Mexico, the Painted Lady migrates and temporarily colonizes the United States and Canada south of the Arctic. Occasionally, population explosions in Mexico will cause massive northward migrations. Comments: The Painted Lady is also known as the Thistle Butterfly because of the caterpillars' food preference and also as the Cosmopolitan because it is the most widely distributed butterfly in the world.
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 25 - 48 of 6864 verified sightings
Observation date: Sep 29, 2023
Submitted by: Kalehua
Region: Alameda County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Dec 01, 2023
Observation date: Sep 28, 2023
Submitted by: Kalehua
Region: Alameda County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Dec 01, 2023
Observation date: Nov 27, 2023
Submitted by: Zencoyote
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Nov 30, 2023
Observation date: Nov 16, 2023
Submitted by: Kalehua
Region: Alameda County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Nov 30, 2023
Observation date: Nov 29, 2023
Submitted by: Kalehua
Region: Alameda County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Nov 30, 2023
Observation date: Nov 20, 2023
Submitted by: katrinaoller
Region: San Francisco County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Nov 30, 2023
Observation date: Nov 29, 2023
Submitted by: Yushi Wu
Region: Alameda County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Nov 30, 2023
Observation date: Nov 29, 2023
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: Pima County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Nov 29, 2023
Observation date: Nov 27, 2023
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: Pima County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Nov 27, 2023
Observation date: Nov 23, 2023
Submitted by: Ghesser
Region: Calaveras County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Nov 27, 2023
Observation date: Nov 26, 2023
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: Pima County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Nov 26, 2023
Observation date: Nov 22, 2023
Submitted by: quinn_rose
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Nov 23, 2023
Observation date: Sep 29, 2023
Submitted by: Lisahug
Region: Sonoma County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Nov 21, 2023
Observation date: Nov 10, 2023
Submitted by: katrinaoller
Region: Monterey County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Nov 17, 2023
Observation date: Jun 24, 2023
Submitted by: williamharmonlds
Region: McKinley County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Nov 16, 2023
Observation date: Nov 06, 2023
Submitted by: Cactuswren1976
Region: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Nov 15, 2023
Observation date: May 29, 2023
Submitted by: abrasket
Region: Boulder County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Nov 08, 2023
Observation date: Nov 04, 2023
Submitted by: madamirie
Region: Santa Cruz County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Nov 06, 2023
Observation date: Oct 13, 2023
Submitted by: Sue Bocchicchio
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Nov 06, 2023
Observation date: Jul 19, 2023
Submitted by: TYob
Region: San Mateo County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Nov 03, 2023
Observation date: Oct 31, 2023
Submitted by: PhotoBug
Region: Clark County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Nov 01, 2023
Observation date: Oct 29, 2023
Submitted by: Mzteachuh
Region: San Bernardino County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 30, 2023
Observation date: Oct 26, 2023
Submitted by: mohundrosmonarc...
Region: Ascension Parish, Louisiana, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 26, 2023
Observation date: Oct 08, 2023
Submitted by: marshcosta
Region: Douglas County, Nebraska, United States
Verified by: Emily Geest
Verified date: Oct 24, 2023
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