The Painted Lady Butterfly (Vanessa cardui) is a colorful widespread butterfly. They are found on every continent except Antarctica and South America, and the species occur in any temperate zone including mountains and in the tropics. They reside only in warmer areas, but they will migrate in the spring and sometimes again in autumn. Physically, the Painted Lady Butterfly has a pale buffy-orange coloration on the upperwings, and the forewings have black tips with white spots. The hindwings have rows of black spots, and the undersides are pale with blue eyespots. Adult butterflies feed on flower nectar and aphid honeydew.
The Painted Lady Butterfly has a total wingspan in the range of 2”-2.87” (51-73 mm). The body of the Painted Lady Butterfly has an overall length between .79”-1.18” (20-30 mm), body width of .18”-.26” (4.5-6.5 mm), and body height of .18”-.26” (4.5-6.5 mm). The typical lifespan of the Painted Lady Butterfly is between 11-12 months.
The Painted Lady Butterfly (Vanessa cardui) is a colorful widespread butterfly. They are found on every continent except Antarctica and South America, and the species occur in any temperate zone including mountains and in the tropics. They reside only in warmer areas, but they will migrate in the spring and sometimes again in autumn. Physically, the Painted Lady Butterfly has a pale buffy-orange coloration on the upperwings, and the forewings have black tips with white spots. The hindwings have rows of black spots, and the undersides are pale with blue eyespots. Adult butterflies feed on flower nectar and aphid honeydew.
The Painted Lady Butterfly has a total wingspan in the range of 2”-2.87” (51-73 mm). The body of the Painted Lady Butterfly has an overall length between .79”-1.18” (20-30 mm), body width of .18”-.26” (4.5-6.5 mm), and body height of .18”-.26” (4.5-6.5 mm). The typical lifespan of the Painted Lady Butterfly is between 11-12 months.