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 11827 verified sightings
Observation date: Oct 27, 2024
Submitted by: gjkoppel
Region: Mercer County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Oct 28, 2024
Observation date: Oct 24, 2024
Submitted by: pgrew1@unl.edu
Region: Hancock County, Maine, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Oct 26, 2024
Observation date: Oct 20, 2024
Submitted by: Sheilabean
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 21, 2024
Observation date: Oct 20, 2024
Submitted by: Sheilabean
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 21, 2024
Observation date: Oct 19, 2024
Submitted by: Sheilabean
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 20, 2024
Observation date: Oct 02, 2024
Submitted by: Sheilabean
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 15, 2024
Observation date: Oct 13, 2024
Submitted by: Sheilabean
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 14, 2024
Observation date: Oct 03, 2024
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: John Saba
Verified date: Oct 09, 2024
Observation date: Oct 02, 2024
Submitted by: Sheilabean
Region: Texas, Tarrant County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 08, 2024
Observation date: Sep 28, 2024
Submitted by: sandyleapt
Region: Multnomah County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 30, 2024
Observation date: Jun 12, 2024
Submitted by: towlefarmguy
Region: Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 27, 2024
Observation date: May 27, 2024
Submitted by: bonfrey
Region: Socorro County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Sep 20, 2024
Observation date: Sep 04, 2024
Submitted by: jmgesell
Region: Warren County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Sep 20, 2024
Observation date: Aug 30, 2024
Submitted by: DeepSkyKelly
Region: Colfax County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Sep 04, 2024
Observation date: Jul 13, 2024
Submitted by: surfinbird
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 26, 2024
Observation date: Aug 24, 2024
Submitted by: brettprobert
Region: Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 26, 2024
Observation date: Aug 13, 2024
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 19, 2024
Observation date: Mar 12, 2023
Submitted by: dvollmar
Region: Alachua County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 16, 2024
Observation date: Jul 22, 2024
Submitted by: jmgesell
Region: Suffolk County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 15, 2024
Observation date: Jul 14, 2021
Submitted by: Buddy Mays
Region: Deschutes County, Oregon, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 11, 2024
Observation date: Aug 08, 2024
Submitted by: jcarter
Region: Nova Scotia, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 11, 2024
Observation date: Aug 10, 2024
Submitted by: Mwidlitz4539
Region: New Haven County, Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 11, 2024
Observation date: Aug 05, 2024
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Aug 10, 2024
Observation date: Aug 05, 2024
Submitted by: Cyn6750
Region: New Brunswick, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 05, 2024
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