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| Painted Lady |
Latin
Name: Vanessa cardui |
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Genus: Vanessa Species: cardui |
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Comments: |
| The Painted Lady, a resident of northern Mexico, annually colonizes much of North America each year before migrating south again in the fall. Although abundance varies from year to year, it is infrequently encountered in Florida. It is a butterfly of open disturbed sites, but may be found in most habitats when dispersing. The larvae construct individual shelters of loose webbing on host leaves. |
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Life
Cycle: |
Broods: |
multiple generations |
Egg: |
small pale green eggs laid singly on host leaves |
Larva: |
variable; greenish yellow with black mottling to charcoal with cream mottling and several rows of lightcolored, branched spines |
Host Plants: |
large variety of plants including thistles and mallows |
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Host
Plants: |
Host
Plants: |
large variety of plants including thistles and mallows |
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Habitat: |
Habitat: |
open, disturbed sites including roadsides, old fields, fallow agricultural land, pastures, utility easements and gardens |
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Wingspan: |
Inches: |
1.75 - 2.4 |
Centimeters: |
4.4 - 6.1 |
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Appearance: |
Sexes: |
similar |
Compare: |
American Painted Lady similar in size and color but has two large ventral hindwing eyespots. |
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| Markings: |
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Above:
- pinkish orange with dark markings and small white spots near tip of forewing
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Below:
- brown with cream patches in ornate cobweb pattern; hindwing has row of four small eyespots and marginal band of lavender spots
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Abundance: |
rare to occasional |
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Map Legend: Resident (green) | Stray
(Red) |
