Some Basic Information on the Four Vanessa Butterfly Species of North America | Red Admiral and Painted Lady Research Site Red Admiral and Painted Lady Research Site ISU Entomology / Red Admiral and Painted Lady Research Site / Some Basic Information on the Four Vanessa Butterfly Species of North America Primary Links Some Basic Information on the Four Vanessa Butterfly Species of North America The Red Admiral, Vanessa atalanta (Linnaeus) Description, Range, Habitat, and Seasonal Migration Patterns The Red Admiral, Vanessa atalanta, is a common and cosmopolitan Holarctic butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It inhabits North America from central Canada through the Mexican highlands to Guatemala (Opler, 1992). Typical habitat is rich, moist bottomland woods containing larval host plants such as stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) and false nettle (Boehmeria cylindrica). V. atalanta is typically found in sunlit forest openings or margins (Opler and Krizek, 1984), often in or near stream courses; in moist fields, in city parks, and on ridge tops (Opler, 1992).

The dorsal side of the wings is dark brown to black. The forewing has small white apical spots and a prominent red-orange median band, and the hindwing has a red-orange marginal band. V. atalanta's wing span varies from 58 to 76 mm (Opler, 1992); the male forewing length ranges from 2.6 to 3.3 cm (mean = 3.1 cm). Females are slightly larger than males: forewing length ranges from 2.9 to 3.5 cm (mean = 3.2 cm) (Opler and Krizek, 1984). Although V. atalanta shows little morphological variation over its geographic range, it has distinct summer and winter forms. The summer form is larger and brighter, with an interrupted forewing band, whereas the winter form is smaller and duller in color (Opler and Krizek, 1984). V. atalanta is double-brooded throughout most of its range (Opler and Krizek, 1984). It is single-brooded in the northernmost United States and Canada, and triple-brooded in the southern states.

In Iowa, V. atalanta is active from mid to late April to late September or early October. V. atalanta is seasonally migratory (Opler and Krizek, 1984; Opler, 1992). It probably cannot survive colder winters in the northern part of its range (Opler, 1992), although Shapiro (1974) reports that adults hibernate successfully as far north as New York. It overwinters in the southern states, including south Texas (Opler, 1992) and Florida (Swanson, 1979; Swanson and Monge-Nájera, 2000). Photo by Kirsten Mortensen, Rochester, New York, taken on the morning of July 9, 2004. The butterfly was sunning itself in a garden where some daisies and echinacea were in bloom.

The Painted Lady, Vanessa cardui (Linnaeus) Description, Range, Habitat, and Sporadic Migratory Outbreaks The Painted Lady, Vanessa cardui, is the most widely distributed butterfly in the world (Opler and Krizek, 1984; Scott, 1986). It is found throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, and Central America. It is not a permanent resident in the eastern United States, but quasi-periodically migrates there from the deserts of the southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico (Opler and Krizek, 1984). These migrations are sporadic and often enormous, and often follow rainy periods in these deserts. Scott (1986) recognizes two subspecies: V. cardui cardui is found throughout North America south to Venezuela and throughout the Bahamas and Antilles; throughout Eurasia including India and Ceylon, and Africa including Madagascar. The other, V. c. kershawi, occurs in Australia and New Zealand and strays into Fiji. Hawaiian V.

cardui adults are intermediate between the two subspecies, and both forms can develop from the eggs of a single female (Scott, 1986). According to Opler and Krizek (1984), V. cardui prefers open areas, including old fields, vacant lots, and gardens. I have found that in Iowa, V. cardui prefers more open areas such as prairies and fields, whereas V. atalanta prefers forest margins and parklike areas with more trees. Painted Lady larvae feed on a wide variety of host plants of the families Compositae (especially thistles), Boraginaceae, Malvaceae (especially the hollyhock Althaea), common mallow (Malva neglecta), and a number of legumes (Opler and Krizek, 1984) including Iowa soybeans (Scott, 1986) The dorsal side of the wings is orange-patterned. On the underside of the hindwing are five small submarginal eyespots. Females are generally larger than males.

Male forewing length ranges from 2.5 to 3.3 cm (mean = 3.0 cm); female forewing length ranges from 3.0 to 3.4 cm (mean = 3.2 cm) (Opler and Krizek, 1984). V. cardui, like V. atalanta, has distinct summer and winter forms. The summer form is larger and brighter and has blue pupils in the submarginal spots on the dorsal hind wing (Opler and Krizek, 1984). The winter form has entirely black wing spots. The number of broods in any one place may vary from year to year because it is not a permanent resident in most of the U.S. (Opler and Krizek, 1984). Photo by Mary Jane "M.J." Hatfield, north of Ames, Story County, Iowa, September 20, 2003. The butterfly is resting on a thistle.

The American Lady, Vanessa virginiensis (Drury) Description, Range, Habitat, and Migratory Patterns The American Lady, Vanessa virginiensis, inhabits North America from southern Canada through the entire United States, as well as the mountains of Central America, Colombia, and the Galapagos Islands (Opler, 1992). Typical habitat includes open areas with low vegetation, such as meadows, floodplains, vacant lots, and beach dunes (Opler and Krizek, 1984; Opler, 1992). The larvae, unlike those of the Painted Lady, feed on a comparatively limited range of foodplants. The preferred food sources are plants of the everlasting tribe of the Compositae, such as sweet everlasting (Graphalium obtusifolium), pearly everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea), and plantain-leaved pussytoes (Antennaria plantaginifolia); they also feed occasionally on burdock (Arctium), wormwood (Artemisia), and ironweed (Vernonia) (Opler and Krizek 1984; Scott 1986).

The dorsal side of the wings is orange-patterned, and a small white spot in the center of the cubital cell of the forewing is a distinguishing characteristic of this species. The American Lady can be most readily distinguished from the Painted Lady by the two large, black-ringed blue eyespots on the underside of the hindwing (Painted Ladies instead have five small submarginal eyespots). V. virginiensis' wing span varies from 53 to 67 mm (Opler, 1992); the male forewing length ranges from 2.4 to 3.0 cm (mean = 2.7 cm). Females are very slightly larger than males: forewing length ranges from 2.4 to 3.1 cm (mean = 2.8 cm) (Opler and Krizek 1984). As do V. atalanta and V. cardui, V. virginiensis has distinct summer and winter forms. The summer form is larger and more brightly colored, whereas the winter form is smaller and paler, with reduced black markings (Opler and Krizek 1984).

The number of broods varies from two in the northern part of its range to three or four in the southern U.S. Adults occur in every month in Mississippi and Florida, but it is uncertain whether or not they are reproductive there during the winter (Opler and Krizek 1984). Scott (1986) describes V. virginiensis as being "somewhat migratory." A northward migration was observed in Iowa and southern Ontario in spring 2001. Whether or not adults can survive cold winters is not clearly documented (Opler 1992). Because V. virginiensis may not be able to overwinter in the northernmost states (Opler and Krizek 1984), migrants may need to recolonize much of the eastern U.S. each year (Opler 1992). Photo by Jim Tompkins, Halifax, Nova Scotia, taken about noon on October 1, 2003, 36 hours after the eye of Hurricane Juan passed over Halifax. The butterfly rested on the ground for about 5 minutes before flying away.

The West Coast Lady, Vanessa annabella Field Description, Range, and Habitat The West Coast Lady, Vanessa annabella, unlike the previous three species, is limited to western North America. It most commonly occurs in a region between the West Coast and a north-south line through eastern Colorado. It typically inhabits open areas, and occurs at various levels in the mountains, from the Upper Sonoran to the Canadian zones (Scott 1986). The larvae prefer to feed on plants of the families Malvaceae (including hollyhock) and Urticaceae, including the nettle species Urtica dioica and U. urens) (Scott 1986). The dorsal side of the wings somewhat resembles that of the Painted Lady, with two distinguishing differences. The postmedian bar on the forewing of V. annabella is orange, rather than white as for V. cardui, and the tip of the forewing is more angled than that of the Painted Lady. Photo by Ron Hemberger, Irvine, California, taken at the University of California - Irvine Arboretum on January 17, 2006, 2:20 p. m. Pacific time.

The butterfly is resting on a very large pine cone. Image copyright 2006, Ron Hemberger. Link to the original photo in BugGuide. Literature Cited Opler, P.A. (1992). A Field Guide to Eastern Butterflies. Houghton Mifflin, Boston. Opler, P.A. and G.O. Krizek (1984). Butterflies East of the Great Plains. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. Scott, J.A. (1986). The Butterflies of North America. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California. Shapiro, A.M. (1974). Butterflies and skippers of New York State. Search 4: 1-60. Swanson, H.F. (1979). Butterfly Revelations. Rollins Press, Inc., Orlando, Florida. Swanson, H.F. and J. Monge-Nájera (2000). The effects of methodological limitations in the study of butterfly behavior and demography: a daily study of Vanessa atalanta (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) for 22 years.

Revista de Biología Tropical 48 (2/3): 605-614. Additional Information, Photos, and Distribution Maps from Butterflies and Moths of North America: BioKIDS - Kids' Inquiry of Diverse Species, Vanessa cardui: INFORMATION Skip directly to main content . Kids' Inquiry of Diverse Species Vanessa cardui What do they look like? Adults of Vanessa cardui are about 5.1 to 7.3 cm in length. The upper side of their wings are orange-brown. The front wings have a white bar, and the rear wings have a row of five tiny black dots. The underside of their wings have brown, black,and gray patterns with tiny spots. Eggs of the Painted Lady appear to be pale green in color. Caterpillars are grayish brown and darker at the ends. They have a yellow stripe running down the back of their body, and spikes along the back and sides of their body. Pupae can be a variety of colors including a metallic green, brown, or bluish-white.

( "Attributes of Vanessa cardui", 2013 ; Brian, 1990 ; Pyle, 1981 ) Other Physical Features 2.52 in Where do they live? Painted ladies ( Vanessa cardui ) are one of the most widely distributed species of butterfly. They can be found on every continent in the world except Antarctica and Australia. The territory size of the Painted Lady is large enough to cover all of North America, south to Panama. They are also in Asia, Africa, and Europe. ( "Attributes of Vanessa cardui", 2013 ; Orsak, 1977 ; Painter, 2013 ) Biogeographic Regions native What kind of habitat do they need? Painted Ladies live in areas with wide open areas of plants such as fields and meadows. They can also be found in suburban, agricultural, swamp, bog, marsh, tundra, taiga, desert or dune, chaparral, forest, rainforest, scrub forest, and mountain habitats as well. These butterflies can adjust to living in pretty much any habitat.

( "Attributes of Vanessa cardui", 2013 ; Orsak, 1977 ; Painter, 2013 ) These animals are found in the following types of habitat riparian How do they grow? Painted Lady butterflies go through complete metamorphosis, and have the life stages of egg, larva (also known as caterpillars), pupa, and adult. Females lay eggs on a plant, which the caterpillars will eat once they hatch. The caterpillars also build tents out of silk on the plant. They shed their skin several time over the next few weeks before becoming pupae. As a pupa, the caterpillar forms a cocoon, and its body shape will completely change during this time. Once pupation is complete, it emerges as an adult butterfly. The time of development from egg to adult depends on where they are in the world. Those in warmer, tropical areas will develop in 33 to 44 days. In cooler climates, development can take more than 60 days.

( "Attributes of Vanessa cardui", 2013 ; Orsak, 1977 ; Stefanescu, et al., 2013 ) Development - Life Cycle metamorphosis How do they reproduce? Painted lady males have territories that they defend from other males. When a female crosses paths with a male, the male will then court the female in hopes that she will mate with him. Males will mate with multiple females during their lives. ( Painter, 2013 ; Saul, 1994 ) Mating System polygynous Painted ladies will mate year round in warm climates, but do not mate during the winter in cooler places. Females will lay about 500 eggs, each egg singly laid on a plant that the caterpillar will eat when it hatches. Both male and females are able to mate 5 to 7 days after emerging from their cocoons. Mating and reproduction also take place throughout the mass migrations that this species undertakes, producing multiple generations throughout the migration. In laboratories, scientists have seen up to 8 generations in a year.

( Painter, 2013 ; Saul, 1994 ; Stefanescu, et al., 2013 ) Key Reproductive Features How often does reproduction occur? Painted ladies breed year round, climate permitting. Breeding season Mating takes place year round, except in cooler areas where it stops in the fall and winter. Average eggs per season Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female) 5 to 7 days female How long do they live? Painted ladies live about a year, from egg to death. Adults live for about 10 to 24 days after emerging from their cocoons. ( Stefanescu, et al., 2013 ) Average lifespan 1 years How do they behave? Every year, painted lady butterflies make huge migrations from Africa to Europe and back again. They also do this in North America, from Mexico to northern United States and Canada and back again. The migrations can be up to 15000 km long. In the spring, they begin moving north as the temperatures become too warm in Africa or Mexico. Along the way, they mate and reproduce.

Since most adult butterflies do not live more than a month, it is not just one generation of butterfly that makes this migration. Instead, it is their offspring and their offsprings' offspring that make the journey. Millions of butterflies can make this journey, though some years there are far less. They reach the northern parts of Europe and North America during the summer, when temperatures are just right for the butterflies. They continue to reproduce, and then they start flying back south in late summer and fall, when temperatures become too cold in the north. ( "Attributes of Vanessa cardui", 2013 ; Stefanescu, et al., 2013 ) Key Behaviors spiders, Araneae What roles do they have in the ecosystem? Painted ladies pollinate the plants and flowers in their habitat. Painted ladies have been recorded feeding from more than 100 plant species, so they can have a big effect on many plant species. Painted ladies are also a part of the food web, since they are eaten by birds, bats and other insects. They can also be used by a large variety of parasites.

The parasites attack both the caterpillars and the pupae, using the bodies of the painted ladies for their own development. These parasites include tachinid flies (Exorista segregata and Sturmia bella ), ichneumonid wasps ( Thyrateles camelinus , Cotesia vanessae , Cotesia vestalis and Dolichogenidea sicaria), and chalcid wasps ( Pteromalus puparum ). ( "Attributes of Vanessa cardui", 2013 ; Stefanescu, et al., 2012 ) Ecosystem Impact Species (or larger taxonomic groups) used as hosts by this species thistles, Asteraceae chalcid wasp, Pteromalus puparum Do they cause problems? Caterpillars of this species sometimes eat beans, artichokes, and mint. These are plants that humans use, so it causes problems when the caterpillars eat the plants and destroy them. ( Orsak, 1977 ) Ways that these animals might be a problem for humans crop pest How do they interact with us? Painted lady butterflies pollinate plants when they feed on the nectar.

Some of these plants may be plants that humans use, so by pollinating them, the butterflies help the plants reproduce, which is helpful to humans. Butterflies are also an important species to study, since changes in butterfly populations can show that there are changes in the ecosystem. If the number of butterflies decreases, scientists will know to look for bad changes in the ecosystem, such as pollution or habitat loss. ( Painter, 2013 ) Ways that people benefit from these animals: pollinates crops BBC Nature - Painted lady videos, news and facts Painted lady Painted lady The painted lady, with its distinctive orange, black and white-spotted wings, is one of the best-known and most widespread of all butterflies . Nicknamed the cosmopolitan in North America , the painted lady is found on every continent except South America . It is a strong flyer capable of long-distance migrations from north Africa , the Middle East and central Asia to Britain and Ireland. Adults may be seen in any habitat but prefer well-lit, open environments such as meadows with plenty of thistles, which are preferred nectar sources for adults and also foodplants for caterpillars.

Butterflies and Moths of North America | collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera 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. Painted Lady Painted Lady Vanessa cardui Identification: Medium—2.2" (slightly larger than American Lady). Above: FW and HW orange and black with a few white spots in black FW apex. Best told from American Lady by connected black marks on inner FW forming an arc that encloses orange. Also lacks the small white spot in orange square along mid-FW usually seen in American Lady. Below: HW mottled dark and light brown and white, with 4 blue-centered eyespots along wing margin; lacks pale band across midwing seen in American Lady, which has 2 much larger eyespots. NJ Status and Distribution: Nonresident. Each year irrupts northward from Mexico in spring to repopulate the U.S. and Canada. Habitat: Open, sunny, fields and wet meadows. Easily attracted to gardens with flowers such as milkweed, Butterfly Bush, Purple Coneflower, Mistflower, sedum, and asters. Flight Period: Early April into December but mainly June to October.

Extreme dates: North Jersey 4/5—12/22; South Jersey 4/8—12/18. Larval Food Plants: Mainly thistles (Carduus and Cirsium). Overwintering Stage: Does not overwinter in NJ. Best Locations: Any open areas during irruptions. TrekNature | Painted Lady(Vanessa cardui) Photo Vanessa cardui Genus: Vanessa Subgenus: Cynthia The Painted Lady group of colourful butterflies comprises the subgenus Cynthia of the genus Vanessa in the Family Nymphalidae. They are well known throughout most of the world. CaterpillarThe group includes: the Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), which is almost global in its distribution Australian Painted Lady (Vanessa kershawi) American (Painted) Lady (Vanessa virginiensis) West Coast Lady (Vanessa annabella).

[edit] Distinguishing features For a key to the terms used see Lepidopteran glossary In general, the Painted Lady is a large butterfly (wing span 5--9ï¿½cm (2--2 7/8 in)) identified by the black and white corners of its mainly deep orange, black-spotted wings. It has 5 white spots in the black forewing tips and while the orange areas may be pale here and there, there are no clean white dots in them. The hindwings carry 4 small submarginal eyespots on dorsal and ventral sides. Those on the dorsal side are black, but in the summer morph sometimes small blue pupils are present in some. siggi , maurydv , roges , nasokoun , peter_stoeckl , uleko has marked this note useful Only registered TrekNature members may rate photo notes. Painted Lady | Definition of Painted Lady by Merriam-Webster See words that rhyme with painted lady Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about painted lady Seen and Heard What made you want to look up painted lady? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Painted Lady, Cynthia cardui - Butterflies - NatureGate Cynthia cardui Wing span: (Medium-sized–)Large, 50–65 mm (1.97–2.56 in.). Wing upper side: Yellowish orange, with black blotches. Forewing tip black with white patches. Wing underside: Forewing with same pattern as upper surface, though colours fainter. Hind wing pattern a mix of yellowish brown and white, inner part with blue eye-blotches, blue stripe parallel to margin. Habitat: Almost all habitats. Flying time: Late May–September,.Rare in July, most common in late summer. Overwintering form: Adult butterfly. Doesn’t overwinter in Finland. Larval foodplant: Especially thistles (genera Carduus and Cirsium), but other plants too. As the American name tells us, the painted lady is one of the the world’s most widespread butterflies, and is only absent from Antarctica and South America. Painted ladies in Finland have wandered from more southern countries and are unable to overwinter here, neither do they overwinter much anywhere else in Europe. Painted ladies in Finland overwinter in northern Africa.

The wings are yellowish orange. The forewings with white-blotched black tips, and the blue eye blotches in the middle of the underside of the hind wings make the species easy to recognize. Females lay their eggs one by one on the host plant, and the caterpillars live inside the entwined leaves. The second generation that is born in Finland is able to fly in late July, but wanderers can also arrive in autumn. → Worldwide distribution info ( GBIF ) Other species from the same subfamily Painted Lady - Montana Field Guide Montana Field Guide Species - Painted Lady - Vanessa cardui Painted Lady - Vanessa cardui General Description [From Ferris and Brown 1981; Scott 1986; Opler and Wright 1999; Glassberg 2001; Pyle 2002] Forewing 2.5-3.5 cm.

Uppersurface orange-brown with darker wing bases, forewing apical area black with white spots and white subapical bar on leading edge, hindwing with a submarginal row of 5 small black spots that sometimes have blue scales; undersurface of hindwing with a black, brown, and gray pattern, 4 small submarginal eyespots. Phenology Several flights throughout the year in Texas, southern Florida, southern California; fewer farther north (Scott 1986). Mostly March and April to October and November (Glassberg 2001). April to October in Colorado (Scott and Scott 1978); early March to late October in Oregon (Warren 2005); early April to early November in Oregon and Washington (Pyle 2002); May to October in southeastern British Columbia (Threatful 1988).

Diagnostic Characteristics Best determined by a combination of the upper surface of forewing apical area black with white spots and white subapical bar on leading edge, uppersurface of hindwing with submarginal row of 5 small black spots that sometimes have blue scales; undersurface of hindwing with 4 small submarginal eyespots. Species Range Click the legend blocks above to view individual ranges. Range Comments Occurs on all continents except Australia and Antarctica. In North America from southeastern Alaska and subarctic Canada south throughout the continental US and Mexico (Scott 1986; Opler and Wright 1999; Glassberg 2001; Pyle 2002); to 3962 m elevation in Colorado (Scott and Scott 1978); to 3200 m in Wyoming (Nabokov 1953). In Montana, reported from across the state and in every county (Kohler 1980; Stanford and Opler 1993). Common to abundant, but rare to common in Pacific Northwest (Glassberg 2001).

Summary of Observations Submitted for Montana Number of Observations: 15 (Click on the following maps and charts to see full sized version) Map Help and Descriptions Relative Density (Observations spanning multiple months or years are excluded from time charts) Migration Migratory; northward in spring and summer through several generations of adults, last flight southward in autumn (Scott 1986; Guppy and Shepard 2001; Pyle 2002). Habitat Open situations; fields, marshes, montane forest clearings, prairies, dunes, thorn scrub, deserts, suburbs, gardens, to above treeline in alpine terrain (Nabokov 1953; Ferris and Brown 1981; Scott 1986; Opler and Wright 1999; Glassberg 2001; Pyle 2002). In Glacier National Park Montana, reported from montane mesic meadows (Debinski 1993), but probably occurs in most open situations some years.

Food Habits Larval food plants very diverse (more than 100 species), with several species of Cirsium especially favored; other species include Achillia, Althaea, Anaphalis, Arctium, Artemesia, Carduus, Centaria, Citrus, Cryptantha, Fragaria, Helianthus, Helianthella, Lupinus, Malva, Medicago, Mentha, Nicotiana, Plantago, Prunus, Rhamnus, Rudbeckia, Rumex, Salvia, Senecio, Solanum, Trifolium, Ulmus, Urtica, and Wyethia (Scott 1986, 1992, 2006).

Adults feed on flower nectar (including Achillea, Allium, Alyssum, Anemone, Apocynum, Arctostaphylos, Arnica, Asclepias, Astragalus, Barbarea, Berberis, Buddleia, Calyptridium, Carduus, Ceanothus, Centaurea, hrysanthemum, Chrysothamnus, Cirsium, Cryptantha, Delphinium, Dipsacus, Dryas, Echinacea, Erigeron, Erioganum, Erysimum, Grindelia, Haplopappus, Helianthus, Helianthella, Heterotheca, Jamesia, Lesquerella, Lobelia, Lonicera, Medicago, Mertensia, Monarda, Oxytropis, Penstemon, Phacelia, Phlox, Physocarpus, Polygonum, Prunus, Pyrus, Ranunculus, Rubus, Rudbeckia, Salvia, Sedum, Senecio, Solidago, Symphoricarpos, Syringa, Taraxacum, Thalaspi, Tilia,

 Trifolium, Verbena, Viburnum, Viola, and Zinnia), rotting fruit, sap, dung, and mud (Pyle 2002; Scott 2014).

Reproductive Characteristics Females lay eggs singly on the undersides of host plant leaves (Scott 1986; James and Nunnallee 2011). Eggs hatch in about 6 days (depending on temperature), develop rapidly, take about 21 days from egg-hatch to L5 instar and pupation; adults eclose (emerge from pupae) about 10 days after pupation. Larvae usually solitary, build silk nest completely surrounding larvae on host plant leave. Larvae usually wander before pupating, but some may pupate on host plant. Autumn adults migrate south or die (Guppy and Shaepard 2001; Pyle 2002; Warren 2005; James and Nunnallee 2011), although adults may hibernate in Colorado and some other southern regions (Scott 1986, 1992). Males perch and sometimes patrol, often on hilltop shrubs, awaiting or searching for passing females (Scott 1975). References Literature Cited AboveLegend: View Online Publication Debinski, D. 1993. Butterflies of Glacier National Park, Montana.

Occasional Papers of the Museum of Natural History, the University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. No. 159: 1-13. Ferris, C.D. and F.M. Brown (eds). 1981. Butterflies of the Rocky Mountains. Univ. of Oklahoma Press. Norman. 442 pp. Glassberg, J. 2001. Butterflies through Binoculars: A Field Guide to the Butterflies of Western North America. Oxford University Press. Guppy, C.S. and J.H. Shepard. 2001. Butterflies of British Columbia: including western Alberta, southern Yukon, the Alaska Panhandle, Washington, northern Oregon, northern Idaho, northwestern Montana. UBC Press (Vancouver, BC) and Royal British Columbia Museum (Victoria, BC). 414 pp. James, D.G. and D. Nunnallee. 2011. Life histories of Cascadia butterflies. Corvallis, OR: Oregon State University Press. 447 p. Kohler, S. 1980. Checklist of Montana Butterflies (Rhopalocera).

Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society 34(1): 1-19. Nabokov, V. 1953. Butterfly collecting in Wyoming, 1952. The Lepidopterists' News 7(2): 49-52. Opler, P.A. and A.B. Wright. 1999. A field guide to western butterflies. Second edition. Peterson Field Guides. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. 540 pp. Opler, P.A., K. Lotts, and T. Naberhaus, coordinators. 2010. Butterflies and moths of North America. Big Sky Institute, Bozeman, MT. Available at: (Accessed 15 June 2015). Pyle, R.M. 2002. The butterflies of Cascadia: a field guide to all the species of Washington, Oregon, and surrounding territories. Seattle Audubon Society, Seattle, Washington. 420 pp. Scott, J.A. 1975. Mate-locating behavior of western North American butterflies.

Journal of Research on the Lepidoptera 14:1-40. Scott, J.A. 1986. The butterflies of North America: a natural history and field guide. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California. Scott, J.A. 1992. Hostplant records for butterflies and skippers (mostly from Colorado) 1959-1992, with new life histories and notes on oviposition, immatures, and ecology. Papilio new series #6. 185 p. Scott, J.A. 2006. Butterfly hostplant records, 1992-2005, with a treatise on the evolution of Erynnis, and a note on new terminology for mate-locating behavior. Papilio new series #14. 74 p. Scott, J.A. 2014. Lepidoptera of North America 13. Flower visitation by Colorado butterflies (40,615 records) with a review of the literature on pollination of Colorado plants and butterfly attraction (Lepidoptera: Hersperioidea and Papilionoidea).

Contributions of the C.P. Gillette Museum of Arthopod Diversity. Fort Collins, CO: Colorado State University. 190 p. Scott, J.A. and G.R. Scott. 1978. Ecology and distribution of the butterflies of southern central Colorado. Journal of Research on the Lepidoptera 17(2): 73-128. Stanford, R.E. and P.A. Opler. 1993. Atlas of western USA butterflies: including adjacent parts of Canada and Mexico. Unpubl. Report. Denver and Fort Collins, Colorado 275 pp. Threatful, D.L. 1988. A list of the butterflies and skippers of Mount Revelstoke and Glacier National Parks, British Columbia, Canada (Lepidoptera). Journal of Research on the Lepidoptera 27(3-4): 213-221. Warren, A.D. 2005. Lepidoptera of North America 6: Butterflies of Oregon, their taxonomy, distribution, and biology. Contributions of the C. P.

Gillette Museum of Arthropod Diversity, Colorado State University. Fort Collins, Colorado. 406 pp. Additional ReferencesLegend: Do you know of a citation we're missing? Allen, T.J., J.P. Brock, and J. Glassberg. 2005. Caterpillars in the field and garden: a field guide to the butterfly caterpillars of North America. Oxford University Press. Brock, J.P. and K. Kaufman. 2003. Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, NY 284 pp. Web Search Engines for Articles on "Painted Lady"

Question: What orange black and white creature is Vanessa cardui?
Answer: Painted Lady (butterfly)