The Painted Lady Butterfly

e Painted Lady Butter y

FUN FACT:

• e Painted Lady inhabits every continent except Australia and Antarctica. It's

Adult

Food Plants

• Aster

• Tall Verbena

• Butter y Bush

• Coreopsis

• Cosmos

• Ironweed

• Joe-Pye Weed

• Lantana

• Liatris

• Milkweed

• New England Aster

• Privet Purple Cone ower Red Clover Scabiosa

• istle

• Zinnia

sometimes called the cosmopolitan butter y, because of its global inhabitation.

• e females lay about 500 eggs in their short 2-4 week lifespan.

• Painted Lady butter ies are one of the brush-footed butter ies (family Nymphalidae), also called four-footed butter ies.

• During their migrations, these medium-sized butter ies can travel up to 100 miles per day. e top speed of a Painted Lady is close to 30 miles per hour.

Host & Caterpillar Food Plants • Borage • Hollyhock • Mallow

• Sun ower • istle

• Tree Mallow

Painted Lady

e Painted Lady butter y, recognized by its distinguishable orange and black wing markings, is a global species found in North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. is butter y is known for its migration behavior, o en seen in substantial numbers.

Migration

e Painted Lady butter y is known for its short-distance migration in search of food and shelter. ese migratory movements are oriented in a north-south direction, following the distribution of resources and the availability of suitable habitats. is migration pattern is o en in uenced by seasonal changes and weather patterns. e Painted Lady butter y’s migration is a fundamental natural event that plays a crucial role in maintaining the balance of ecosystems and promoting the diversity of plant and animal life.

e migration behavior is widely recognized for its remarkable nature, o en involving the collective movement of a large number of butter ies over long distances. During this journey, they can y up to 100 miles per day in search of sustenance and appropriate habitats. Furthermore, the adaptability of this butter y species to a diverse range of environments is noteworthy, as it enables them to thrive in various regions across the globe.

Painted Lady Life Cycle

(Vanessa cardui)

e Painted Lady butter y exhibits a distinct life cycle, which consists of four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. e female butter y lays its eggs on thistle plant leaves, which eventually hatch into caterpillars. ese caterpillars undergo a metamorphosis process, transforming into a chrysalis before emerging as a fully-formed butter y. Adult Painted Lady butter ies have brown wings with white, black, and orange spots and primarily consume nectar while also mating and migrating short distances in search of food and shelter.