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.
Get your BAMONA Gear!
Please donate!
We depend on donations to keep Butterflies and Moths of North America freely available. We want to express our gratitude to all who showed their support by making a contribution this year. You can donate to support this project at any time.
Advertise with us!
Do you have a product or service that you think would interest BAMONA users? If you would like to advertise on this website, contact us by email, or use the contact form and select the "Advertising" category.
Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 11838 verified sightings
Observation date: May 12, 1982
Submitted by: papilio1
Region: Tehama County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Dec 10, 2024
Observation date: Oct 08, 2024
Submitted by: bentert
Region: Coconino County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Dec 06, 2024
Observation date: Nov 26, 2024
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Charleston County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Nov 27, 2024
Observation date: Jul 22, 2023
Submitted by: jrtindall
Region: Mercer County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 17, 2024
Observation date: Jul 10, 2022
Submitted by: mabfrazer
Region: Ocean County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 14, 2024
Observation date: Jun 27, 2024
Submitted by: jthompson6112
Region: Sussex County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 13, 2024
Observation date: Jul 15, 2024
Submitted by: yeraunt
Region: Sussex County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 13, 2024
Observation date: Nov 05, 2024
Submitted by: tiki33wv
Region: Wood County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Nov 06, 2024
Observation date: Oct 23, 2024
Submitted by: Cactuswren1976
Region: Los Alamos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Nov 04, 2024
Observation date: Oct 27, 2024
Submitted by: Sheilabean
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 03, 2024
Observation date: Oct 27, 2024
Submitted by: Sheilabean
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 03, 2024
Observation date: Oct 27, 2024
Submitted by: gjkoppel
Region: Mercer County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Oct 28, 2024
Observation date: Oct 24, 2024
Submitted by: pgrew1@unl.edu
Region: Hancock County, Maine, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Oct 26, 2024
Observation date: Oct 20, 2024
Submitted by: Sheilabean
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 21, 2024
Observation date: Oct 20, 2024
Submitted by: Sheilabean
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 21, 2024
Observation date: Oct 19, 2024
Submitted by: Sheilabean
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 20, 2024
Observation date: Oct 02, 2024
Submitted by: Sheilabean
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 15, 2024
Observation date: Oct 13, 2024
Submitted by: Sheilabean
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 14, 2024
Observation date: Oct 03, 2024
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Oct 09, 2024
Observation date: Oct 02, 2024
Submitted by: Sheilabean
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 08, 2024
Observation date: Sep 28, 2024
Submitted by: sandyleapt
Region: Multnomah County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 30, 2024
Observation date: Jun 12, 2024
Submitted by: towlefarmguy
Region: Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 27, 2024
Observation date: May 27, 2024
Submitted by: bonfrey
Region: Socorro County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Sep 20, 2024
Observation date: Sep 04, 2024
Submitted by: jmgesell
Region: Warren County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Sep 20, 2024
- 1 of 494
- next ›