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 145 - 168 of 214 verified sightings
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Observation date: Sep 10, 2017
Submitted by: Bugcatcher Eman
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Sep 22, 2017
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Observation date: Sep 12, 2017
Submitted by: Coleen W
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Sep 22, 2017
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/filefield_paths/painted-lady-3_1.jpg?itok=vlquVGFA)
Observation date: Aug 05, 2017
Submitted by: Paul Prappas
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Sep 22, 2017
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Observation date: Sep 19, 2017
Submitted by: Zmnixon
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Sep 22, 2017
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/filefield_paths/painted_lady_14.jpg?itok=SOsD5ILu)
Observation date: Sep 13, 2017
Submitted by: Reiner Jakubowski
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Sep 20, 2017
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Observation date: Jun 25, 2017
Submitted by: Cherylee Black
Region: New Brunswick, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Sep 18, 2017
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/filefield_paths/painted_lady_20170918.jpg?itok=H-GZH9Zb)
Observation date: Sep 18, 2017
Submitted by: johngor
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Sep 18, 2017
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/filefield_paths/painted_lady_on_mint_blossom_sep_11_18_degrees.jpg?itok=R0EkTp0G)
Observation date: Sep 11, 2017
Submitted by: bracicot
Region: Manitoba, Canada
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Sep 18, 2017
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Observation date: Sep 12, 2017
Submitted by: Dennis Wood
Region: Manitoba, Canada
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Sep 18, 2017
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/filefield_paths/painted_lady_sep_13_23_degrees.jpg?itok=eZclcuQR)
Observation date: Sep 13, 2017
Submitted by: bracicot
Region: Manitoba, Canada
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Sep 18, 2017
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/filefield_paths/img_9225_2.jpg?itok=tuWR2Egv)
Observation date: Sep 15, 2017
Submitted by: Cherylee Black
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Sep 17, 2017
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Observation date: Sep 15, 2017
Submitted by: Canisminimus
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Sep 16, 2017
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/filefield_paths/img_0299_2.jpg?itok=i9tic9yN)
Observation date: Sep 14, 2017
Submitted by: NatashaG
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Sep 14, 2017
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Observation date: Sep 04, 2017
Submitted by: AnnetteB
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Sep 12, 2017
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Observation date: Aug 19, 2017
Submitted by: NatashaG
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 29, 2017
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/filefield_paths/img_0995.jpg?itok=HH3j-wF_)
Observation date: Aug 27, 2017
Submitted by: Taron66
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 28, 2017
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Observation date: Aug 22, 2017
Submitted by: steph_leger
Region: Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 23, 2017
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Observation date: Aug 12, 2017
Submitted by: kentinada
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Aug 22, 2017
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/filefield_paths/painted_lady_vanessa_cardui_jtb_5390.jpg?itok=iFPFJeRZ)
Observation date: Aug 19, 2017
Submitted by: John Terpstra
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 19, 2017
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/filefield_paths/painted_lady_6.jpg?itok=7hAOtSwA)
Observation date: Aug 14, 2017
Submitted by: BruceMissen
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 17, 2017
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Observation date: Aug 15, 2017
Submitted by: NatashaG
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 16, 2017
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/filefield_paths/vanessa_cardui_dorsal_03.jpg?itok=TSJ3gFYz)
Observation date: Aug 16, 2017
Submitted by: Joe Bartok
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 16, 2017
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/filefield_paths/img_7090crop.jpg?itok=lP--B9uj)
Observation date: Aug 13, 2017
Submitted by: soilfertility
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 15, 2017
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/filefield_paths/20170803_125214.jpg?itok=hP4Zb-Qu)
Observation date: Aug 03, 2017
Submitted by: JEANH
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 14, 2017
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