PAINTED LADY (Vanessa cardui)

Flight Period: Multiple brooded along the Mexican border from California to Florida, and in other countries.  It overwinters as an adult in cooler climates.  The painted lady is one of the most widely distributed butterfly species in the world.  Large migrations of millions of painted lady butterflies occur in the U.S. (especially in the Southwest), in the spring, usually after long periods of rain in March or April.  This phenomenon occurs about once a decade.

Range: Found on most all continents and islands.

Common Host Plants: A wide variety of the Asteraceae, including one of its favorite plants, thistle (Cirsium spp.), and the families Malvaceae, Hydrophyllaceae, Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, Verbenaceae, Solanaceae, Rosaceae, Convolvulaceae, Plantaginaceae, Brassicaceae, Apiaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Rhamnaceae, Ulmaceae, Urticaceae, and others.

Wing Span: 2 - 2 1/4" (51 - 57 mm).