Painted Lady
August 2019
The Painted Lady’s (Vanessa cardui) roundtrip migratory flight is the longest of any butterfly at 9,000 miles over several generations!! These gorgeous butterflies are mostly orange with brown details on the upper side, along with white flecks on the wingtips, and brown circles and dashes along the hindwing edges. There is an arching pattern of brown markings on the inner forewing that is fully connected, as compared with the American Lady’s which has a break in the pattern.
Female - August 2019
You’ve probably seen a Painted Lady fluttering around a flower patch or traveling the edge of a tree line. Seeing the wings at rest in full sunlight provides a completely different view. The forewing has a strawberry colored brushstroke detail and the hindwing flashes in blue and purple gemstone-like markings. I tried for years to capture a photo like this and finally had the opportunity in 2019.
September 2019
The circular markings on the ventral side can range in color and it’s really fun trying to find the different variations. The individual above (August 2019) has indigo, mint green, teal and blue, and this individual (September 2019) has blue, tan, green, brown and orange.
August 2019
These butterflies seem to love Knapweed as I’ve seen them on this flower more than any other!!
August 2019
In North America, the Painted Lady migrates between Mexico and Canada through multiple generations traveling roughly 4,000 to 5,000 miles. (credit: https://www.butterfly-conservation.org/) Imagine seeing this stunning butterfly and then finding out it’s capable of such an incredible feat on top of being so beautiful!!
October 2019
This is a great example of a Painted Lady with the bold connected brown markings that form an arch near the inner portion of the forewing. I will post a comparison view in the “Butterfly Anatomy/Diagrams” tab eventually. This individual has really wide swirling brown markings even on the hindwings.
August 2019
