American Lady
September 2014
One of my personal favorite butterflies - especially the ventral view!! I’ve always thought American Ladies (Vanessa virginiensis) can hold up against any butterfly species when it comes to beauty!! Note their two bold ventral-side hindwing “eye-spots” which differ from Painted Ladies 5 smaller spots.
September 2015
Amazingly, American Ladies don’t often stop for dorsal looks like this one, but you can get a great view of all the identification details referencing the fully spread wings here. My favorite dorsal field mark to differentiate from Painted Ladies is the white dot on the outer orange rectangle of the forewing. I’ve seen this appear prominently on all but a few American Ladies I have photographed, and even fleeting views can give a positive id. You’ll notice a break in the dark brown markings while scanning toward the thorax from this white dot. Painted Ladies have a connected formation which is usually bolder as well.
April 2017
May 2019
This beautiful American Lady was moving about the beach plum flowers with many other pollinators. It struck this cool pose giving an upside-down dorsal view.
September 2019
Here is a nice look at the ventral side of an American Lady under an overcast sky. The colors are amazing on this fresh individual and I love the periwinkle band along the outer portion of the hindwing.
May 2019
Here’s an example of an American Lady without a prominent white dot on the forewing (though there is a subtle mark showing).
