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 169 - 192 of 215 verified sightings
Observation date: Aug 03, 2017
Submitted by: JEANH
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 14, 2017
Observation date: Jul 10, 2017
Submitted by: Winter
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 01, 2017
Observation date: Jul 26, 2017
Submitted by: BeaLaporte
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 27, 2017
Observation date: Jul 26, 2017
Submitted by: BeaLaporte
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 27, 2017
Observation date: Jul 24, 2017
Submitted by: barburk
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 24, 2017
Observation date: Jun 13, 2017
Submitted by: johngor
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 14, 2017
Observation date: Jul 13, 2016
Submitted by: johngor
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Sep 04, 2016
Observation date: Sep 12, 2012
Submitted by: digginflowers
Region: New Brunswick, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 23, 2016
Observation date: Aug 22, 2015
Submitted by: Mr Bill E-B
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: May 15, 2016
Observation date: Aug 24, 2015
Submitted by: sh11
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: May 02, 2016
Observation date: Jun 24, 2015
Submitted by: bobscafe
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Oct 20, 2015
Observation date: Aug 12, 2015
Submitted by: Glennie
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Aug 16, 2015
Observation date: Aug 01, 2015
Submitted by: bobscafe
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Aug 16, 2015
Observation date: Jun 24, 2015
Submitted by: bobscafe
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Jul 10, 2015
Observation date: May 02, 2015
Submitted by: herobiscuit
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: May 14, 2015
Observation date: Sep 27, 2014
Submitted by: Jane Banks
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Sep 29, 2014
Observation date: Sep 12, 2014
Submitted by: rbuist
Region: Manitoba, Canada
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Sep 14, 2014
Observation date: Jul 31, 2014
Submitted by: BeaLaporte
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 22, 2014
Observation date: Jun 15, 2014
Submitted by: johngor
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 17, 2014
Observation date: May 11, 2014
Submitted by: skywatcher
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: May 14, 2014
Observation date: Aug 12, 2012
Submitted by: Gerry Porter
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Mar 25, 2014
Observation date: Aug 08, 2012
Submitted by: Gerry Porter
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Mar 14, 2014
Observation date: Sep 22, 2012
Submitted by: mom2krb
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 22, 2013
Observation date: Sep 23, 2012
Submitted by: mom2krb
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 22, 2013
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