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 1 - 24 of 11813 verified sightings
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/american_lady_18a-24.jpg?itok=bY2EdY1B)
Observation date: Jul 13, 2024
Submitted by: surfinbird
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 26, 2024
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Observation date: Aug 24, 2024
Submitted by: brettprobert
Region: Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 26, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/dscn0190_0.jpg?itok=VzHrw8bS)
Observation date: Aug 13, 2024
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 19, 2024
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Observation date: Mar 12, 2023
Submitted by: dvollmar
Region: Alachua County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 16, 2024
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Observation date: Jul 22, 2024
Submitted by: jmgesell
Region: Suffolk County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 15, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/buddymays-americanlady_1097.jpg?itok=cympdeP2)
Observation date: Jul 14, 2021
Submitted by: Buddy Mays
Region: Deschutes County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 11, 2024
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Observation date: Aug 08, 2024
Submitted by: jcarter
Region: Nova Scotia, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 11, 2024
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Observation date: Aug 10, 2024
Submitted by: Mwidlitz4539
Region: New Haven County, Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 11, 2024
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Observation date: Aug 05, 2024
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Aug 10, 2024
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Observation date: Aug 05, 2024
Submitted by: Cyn6750
Region: New Brunswick, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 05, 2024
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Observation date: Jul 06, 2024
Submitted by: mathgeek
Region: Jackson County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 03, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/2-american_lady_gabriels_cemetery_july_26_2024_1227pm.dscn1141.jpg?itok=9VFhrjjK)
Observation date: Jul 26, 2024
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: Franklin County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 02, 2024
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Observation date: Jul 26, 2024
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: Franklin County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 02, 2024
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Observation date: Jul 22, 2024
Submitted by: kye
Region: Greenville County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Jul 30, 2024
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Observation date: Jul 27, 2024
Submitted by: Alison Davies
Region: Allendale County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Jul 30, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/american_lady_vanessa_virginiensis_jtf_9867.jpg?itok=iqeR28v0)
Observation date: Jun 28, 2024
Submitted by: John Terpstra
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 29, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/dscn0046.jpeg?itok=AsCUZBhQ)
Observation date: Jul 20, 2024
Submitted by: Elisabeth_Cassinari
Region: Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jul 24, 2024
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Observation date: Jul 19, 2024
Submitted by: dnight30
Region: Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jul 21, 2024
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Observation date: Jul 19, 2024
Submitted by: ezeemonee
Region: Kern County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 20, 2024
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Observation date: Jul 13, 2024
Submitted by: ezeemonee
Region: Kern County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 18, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/dscn0817_0.jpg?itok=RhnDFSxL)
Observation date: Jul 14, 2024
Submitted by: DeepSkyKelly
Region: Colfax County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 17, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/1a-american_lady_70_petrova_ave_july_13_2024_102pm.dscn0984.jpg?itok=gggwgfk7)
Observation date: Jul 13, 2024
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: Franklin County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 16, 2024
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Observation date: Jul 15, 2024
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: Essex County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 16, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/5-american_lady_bloomingdale_bog_july_15_2024_101pm.dscn1015.jpg?itok=G2mAH5RO)
Observation date: Jul 15, 2024
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: Essex County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 16, 2024
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