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 97 - 120 of 214 verified sightings
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Observation date: Aug 10, 2019
Submitted by: Redsquirrel69
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 10, 2019
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/b6c097c6-983f-4cc0-8d52-6ebe31d6bac5.jpeg?itok=EWSSAgoN)
Observation date: Sep 23, 2017
Submitted by: janicesim
Region: Manitoba, Canada
Verified by: chalicerae
Verified date: Aug 05, 2019
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_4923_4.jpg?itok=FKODAgEC)
Observation date: Aug 03, 2019
Submitted by: kittybev
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 04, 2019
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/dsc07524.jpg?itok=2sNJFTj2)
Observation date: Jul 26, 2019
Submitted by: Sunflowerman
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 28, 2019
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/painted_lady_41.jpg?itok=J4xi2zNx)
Observation date: Jul 25, 2019
Submitted by: Bea Kohlhaas
Region: New Brunswick, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 26, 2019
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_3270_0.jpg?itok=7Nu7S_Oo)
Observation date: Jul 23, 2019
Submitted by: Michelle Sharp
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 23, 2019
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_0322_2_0.jpg?itok=K0GULHXo)
Observation date: Jul 22, 2019
Submitted by: Cormath
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 23, 2019
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/bfac42c2-35a3-4044-bec2-ae2b58d75721.jpeg?itok=zueorVDl)
Observation date: Jul 21, 2019
Submitted by: Forstbauer
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 21, 2019
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/20190716_161308.jpg?itok=K0aIgGnj)
Observation date: Jul 16, 2019
Submitted by: krvannie
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 16, 2019
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/dscf5163.jpg?itok=eWPhSwOR)
Observation date: Aug 19, 2017
Submitted by: Gonodactylus
Region: Manitoba, Canada
Verified by: chalicerae
Verified date: Jul 07, 2019
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/painted_lady_vanessa_cardui_agawa_prov.pk_june_15_2019_blomme.jpg?itok=4dle4obS)
Observation date: Jun 15, 2019
Submitted by: Chris Blomme
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 26, 2019
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_0092_2_0.jpg?itok=n0V7Ob3n)
Observation date: Jun 19, 2019
Submitted by: Cormath
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 19, 2019
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_2289a.jpg?itok=Cr_6VWq2)
Observation date: Sep 24, 2017
Submitted by: Geof Adams
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Nov 24, 2018
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/bf30fa0d-a4c8-4e93-b8cd-b13bfa18eeb8.jpeg?itok=3zgnStRl)
Observation date: Jun 22, 2018
Submitted by: Flutterbyaway
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Nov 24, 2018
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/p1070919_2.jpg?itok=ue1WXdJk)
Observation date: Aug 21, 2012
Submitted by: RStankiewicz
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Oct 08, 2018
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/filefield_paths/helnium_painted_lady_dsc06106.jpg?itok=vF9qVnSq)
Observation date: Sep 11, 2017
Submitted by: AngelaMay
Region: Manitoba, Canada
Verified by: chalicerae
Verified date: Apr 03, 2018
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/filefield_paths/tjra9260.jpg?itok=7sKH18rp)
Observation date: Sep 21, 2017
Submitted by: tjrickert
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Feb 17, 2018
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/filefield_paths/tickseed_with_painted_lady_09_28_2017_dsc06940_0.jpg?itok=OFQJWdlG)
Observation date: Sep 28, 2017
Submitted by: AngelaMay
Region: Manitoba, Canada
Verified by: chalicerae
Verified date: Feb 12, 2018
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/filefield_paths/painted_lady_dsc06943.jpg?itok=6-etB-Yg)
Observation date: Sep 28, 2017
Submitted by: AngelaMay
Region: Manitoba, Canada
Verified by: chalicerae
Verified date: Feb 12, 2018
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/filefield_paths/cosmo_painted_lady_09_2017_dsc06686.jpg?itok=lVLMJVwI)
Observation date: Sep 22, 2017
Submitted by: AngelaMay
Region: Manitoba, Canada
Verified by: chalicerae
Verified date: Feb 12, 2018
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/filefield_paths/aster_new_england_with_painted_lady_dsc06213_0.jpg?itok=n4W-4k3G)
Observation date: Sep 11, 2017
Submitted by: AngelaMay
Region: Manitoba, Canada
Verified by: chalicerae
Verified date: Feb 12, 2018
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/filefield_paths/dsc05970.jpg?itok=GpU97mTk)
Observation date: Sep 09, 2017
Submitted by: AngelaMay
Region: Manitoba, Canada
Verified by: chalicerae
Verified date: Feb 12, 2018
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/filefield_paths/image_78.jpg?itok=x3lF_JAh)
Observation date: Sep 15, 2017
Submitted by: Pcsmary
Region: Saskatchewan, Canada
Verified by: A_baldini
Verified date: Jan 14, 2018
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/filefield_paths/paila_img_2745.jpg?itok=WSixcAB9)
Observation date: Sep 15, 2017
Submitted by: Geoff Urwin
Region: Saskatchewan, Canada
Verified by: A_baldini
Verified date: Jan 14, 2018
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