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.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 25 - 48 of 11813 verified sightings
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Observation date: May 30, 2024
Submitted by: kjaldridge
Region: Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 16, 2024
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Observation date: Jul 15, 2024
Submitted by: kye
Region: Greenville County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Jul 16, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/dscn9600_0.jpg?itok=wwov9kJm)
Observation date: Jul 05, 2024
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 13, 2024
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Observation date: Jul 08, 2024
Submitted by: Lydiaak
Region: Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 13, 2024
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Observation date: Jul 13, 2024
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: Franklin County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 13, 2024
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Observation date: Jul 07, 2024
Submitted by: jwileyrains
Region: Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 12, 2024
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Observation date: Jul 10, 2024
Submitted by: ezeemonee
Region: Santa Barbara County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 12, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/american_lady_tesuque_peak_rd._7-7-24.jpg?itok=noUzT3lO)
Observation date: Jul 05, 2024
Submitted by: Cactuswren1976
Region: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 08, 2024
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Observation date: Jul 05, 2024
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: Franklin County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 05, 2024
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Observation date: Apr 22, 2024
Submitted by: Ken Cheeks
Region: Edgefield County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Jul 05, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/american_lady_vanessa_virginiensis_c_sylvan_rd_edgefield_co_inat_050124.jpg?itok=0u4X3M_7)
Observation date: May 01, 2024
Submitted by: Ken Cheeks
Region: Edgefield County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Jul 05, 2024
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Observation date: Jul 03, 2024
Submitted by: Patricia12
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 04, 2024
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Observation date: Jul 01, 2024
Submitted by: jmgesell
Region: Monroe County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 04, 2024
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Observation date: Jul 03, 2024
Submitted by: houdini73
Region: Brown County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 03, 2024
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Observation date: Jun 26, 2024
Submitted by: ezeemonee
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 03, 2024
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Observation date: Jun 02, 2024
Submitted by: dcs8815
Region: Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 02, 2024
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Observation date: Jul 01, 2024
Submitted by: Gwiggins
Region: New Brunswick, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 02, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_7609_1.jpeg?itok=ilVWNW6R)
Observation date: Jun 24, 2024
Submitted by: pgrew1@unl.edu
Region: Penobscot County, Maine, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jun 28, 2024
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Observation date: Apr 10, 2024
Submitted by: vogelbild
Region: Kane County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 28, 2024
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Observation date: Jun 25, 2024
Submitted by: Flagstaff123
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 26, 2024
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Observation date: Jun 22, 2024
Submitted by: Ozark_Bill
Region: Fayette County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 23, 2024
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Observation date: May 21, 2024
Submitted by: pgrew1@unl.edu
Region: Penobscot County, Maine, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jun 23, 2024
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Observation date: Jun 19, 2024
Submitted by: ezeemonee
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 22, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/american_lady_jm_beach_5-29-24.jpg?itok=DvYVL5Ha)
Observation date: May 29, 2024
Submitted by: mtobin11
Region: Lake County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 22, 2024
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