neighborhood naturalist CORVALLIS, OREGON — SUMMER 2017
Painted Lady
article and photography by Lisa Millbank
T
he world’s most widespread and successful butterfly, the Painted Lady is found across North America, Africa, Europe and Asia, and possibly Australia too, depending on how one classifies the similar butterfly found there. A swift flier with bold orange, black and white wings, the Painted Lady is anything but delicate, and rivals the Monarch in its migratory flights.
Similarly, Painted Ladies migrate from north Africa into Europe. Just as migrating birds sometimes end up where they shouldn’t, Painted Ladies can wander far offcourse, and they’re sometimes observed from ships at sea. In 1950, six Painted Ladies were seen fluttering across the Atlantic Ocean, between Puerto Rico and the coast of the Western Sahara region—about 1,500 miles from the nearest landmass. Of course, these maritime adventures don’t end well for the Painted Ladies in most cases.
Like its close relative, the Red Admiral, the Painted Lady is a long-distance migrant that uses the sun’s position to orient itself during its long flight. While it’s possible On the other hand, some fortuitous navigational errors that a few may overwinter in milder climates such as ours, may have helped Painted Ladies spread around the world. the vast majority of Painted Ladies that we see come from Somehow, a few Painted Ladies (or a similar ancestral the south. species) established themselves on the Hawaiian Islands in the distant past, to begin their own evolutionary path. The We also have two other “lady” species that are fairly Kamehameha Lady is now its own unique species, found uncommon in the mid-Willamette Valley. At a glance, nowhere else on earth. they’re almost indistinguishable from the Painted Lady. The migrating Painted Ladies have large fat reserves to Adult Painted Ladies overwinter in the southwestern sustain them, which they acquired as caterpillars. Therefore, states and northern Mexico. In years with plentiful rainfall they have little need to stop to feed, and they zip along with and plant growth, these overwintering butterflies can an odd, corkscrewing flight, often covering more than 60 produce huge numbers of caterpillars. The Monarch is miles per day. They do not begin to reproduce until their famed for its migration, but the swarms of newly-hatched fat is nearly depleted and they attain sexual maturity. The Painted Ladies that fly north from the desert can contain tattered, faded butterflies eventually run out of fuel. billions of butterflies. These irruptions are sporadic, affected by climatic conditions such as El Niño, and in some years, At this point in their journey, they begin to feed on very few Painted Ladies make their way north. nectar and honeydew, a secretion produced by aphids. Neighborhood Naturalist, Summer 2017 v15 #2 • page 1