Elena Rossi
The painted lady butterfly, also known as the thistle or cosmopolitan butterfly, is a species of butterfly in the brush-footed butterfly family, Nymphalidae (order Lepidoptera). Its scientific name is Vanessa cardui, and it is the most widespread butterfly species in the world, occupying all continents except Antarctica and Australia. The painted lady butterfly undergoes four life stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult, and is famous for its impressive migrations, which span thousands of kilometres.
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What You'll Learn
Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
The painted lady butterfly, also known as the thistle butterfly or the cosmopolitan butterfly, is a species of butterfly with a distinct appearance and a wide range. Here is a breakdown of its taxonomy:
Kingdom: Animalia
The painted lady butterfly, like all other organisms on Earth, belongs to one of the five kingdoms of living things. In this case, it is Animalia, which includes all animals.
Phylum: Arthropoda
Arthropoda is a diverse phylum of invertebrates that includes insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and myriapods. They are characterized by having jointed limbs and external skeletons.
Class: Insecta
The Insecta class is comprised of insects, which are small terrestrial invertebrates that have six legs and a hard exoskeleton. They undergo metamorphosis during their life cycle and have three main body parts: head, thorax, and abdomen.
Order: Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera is the order of moths and butterflies. They are distinguished by their four-stage life cycle (egg, larva, pupa, and adult) and their ability to undergo complete metamorphosis.
Family: Nymphalidae
Nymphalidae is a family of butterflies commonly known as the brush-footed butterflies. They are characterized by reduced forelimbs covered in sensory hairs, which aid in navigation and host plant selection.
Genus: Vanessa
The genus Vanessa includes the painted lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui) and other closely related species, such as the American painted lady (V. virginiensis) and the West Coast lady (V. annabella).
Species: Vanessa cardui
Vanessa cardui is the scientific name for the painted lady butterfly. It is one of the most widespread butterfly species, found on every continent except Antarctica and Australia, with a limited range in the latter.
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Vanessa cardui
The painted lady butterfly, or Vanessa cardui, is one of the most widespread butterfly species in the world. It is found on every continent except Antarctica, South America, and Australia (though it has been found around Bunbury, Fremantle, and Rottnest Island). The painted lady inhabits sunny, brightly lit, open environments and is often attracted to open areas of flowers and clovers.
The adult painted lady has orange and brown patterned wings with white spots near the tips of the forewings. When the butterfly sits with its wings folded together, four small eyespots are noticeable on the hindwing. The underside of the wings is markedly duller, in shades of brown and grey.
Painted lady caterpillars feed on a variety of host plants, particularly thistle, mallow, and hollyhock. More than 300 host plants have been recorded, including sunflower, Canada thistle, and aster. The caterpillars live in loosely woven silk nests, eating continually for 5 to 10 days. They go through five instars, or developmental stages, before pupating on the host plant. The final instar retains the spines of the previous stages but has a lighter colour.
Adult painted ladies nectar on many plants, especially the composite flowers of the Asteraceae plant family. Favoured nectar sources include thistle, aster, cosmos, blazing star, ironweed, and joe-pye weed. Adult butterflies also feed on flower nectar and aphid honeydew.
Painted ladies are famous for their impressive migrations, often in great numbers. They are irruptive migrants, meaning they occasionally migrate without regard to geography or season. In North America, they are usually seen migrating northwest during the spring, and sometimes a second migration back southward occurs during autumn.
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The butterfly's impressive migrations
The painted lady butterfly, or *Vanessa cardui*, is the most widespread butterfly species in the world, occupying all continents except Australia and Antarctica. It is native to sunny places and can be found in Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, and Central America.
Painted lady butterflies are famous for their impressive migrations, which, unlike many other migratory species, do not follow a seasonal pattern. These migrations sometimes occur in phenomenal numbers, filling the skies with butterflies. In North America, for instance, painted lady butterflies migrate in a northwestern direction during the spring, and sometimes a second migration back southward occurs during autumn.
In the summer, painted ladies migrate from the deserts of northern Mexico and the southwestern U.S. to temporarily colonize the United States and Canada south of the Arctic. The first adults usually arrive in June to begin egg-laying. Periodically, enormous migrations from these deserts inundate other areas of the country, so it can be locally abundant at times.
Over the past decade, scientists have identified 10 generations of painted lady butterflies during their annual migratory cycle, from equatorial Africa to the northernmost parts of Europe and back. This 9,000-mile round trip is almost double the length of the famous migrations undertaken by Monarch butterflies in North America. The whole journey is not undertaken by individual butterflies but is a series of steps by up to six successive generations.
The painted lady's migrations are influenced by weather patterns. For example, in 2023, a drought in Europe made it difficult to find painted lady butterflies in Switzerland, but scientists found them convening on flowers high up in the mountains next to melting glaciers.
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The Painted Lady's feeding habits
The Painted Lady butterfly, scientifically known as Vanessa cardui, is one of the world's most widespread and recognisable butterfly species. It is found on all continents except Australia and Antarctica.
Feeding Habits of the Painted Lady Butterfly
The Painted Lady butterfly is a highly mobile species that can cover large distances during its migrations. As such, adult butterflies rely on energy-rich nectar from various flowering plants as their primary source of sustenance. They have been observed to prefer purple flowers, feeding on them 45% of the time, and like white flowers the least. They also seem to prefer clustered flowers over large single flowers.
Some of their favourite nectar-producing flowers include thistles, aster, cosmos, blazing star, ironweed, and joe-pye weed. In addition to nectar, adult Painted Ladies may also feed on tree sap and overripe or rotting fruit.
Painted Lady caterpillars, on the other hand, feed on the leaves of a wide variety of host plants, including thistle, mallow, hollyhock, sunflower, and asters. Some of these host plants contain toxic compounds, which the caterpillars can store in their blood, making them unpalatable to predators.
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The butterfly's life stages
The painted lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui) is one of the most common butterfly species in the world. It is widespread across all continents except Australia and Antarctica. These butterflies undergo four life stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult, completing their metamorphosis in about a month.
The female painted lady butterfly can lay anywhere from 200 to 500 eggs throughout her lifespan, which typically lasts a few weeks to a couple of months. The eggs are barrel-shaped, mint green, and are laid singly on the leaves of host plants. Under optimal conditions, the eggs hatch in 3 to 5 days, though this can vary depending on temperature, humidity, and egg health.
The larval stage, or caterpillar stage, lasts for about 10 to 14 days. During this time, the caterpillars feed on a variety of host plants, particularly thistle, mallow, and hollyhock. The caterpillars go through five instars, or developmental stages, growing larger and developing noticeable spines with white and orange markings. The final instar retains the spines but has a lighter color.
The pupal stage, or chrysalis stage, lasts about 7 to 10 days. The chrysalis is typically smooth and cylindrical with a tapered end, and its color can range from pale green or yellow to brown. It is suspended from a silk pad or thread attached to a substrate, such as a twig or leaf, providing stability and protection during this vulnerable stage.
Finally, the adult butterfly emerges from the chrysalis. The adult painted lady has orange and brown patterned wings with white spots near the tips of the forewings. The underside of the wings is duller, in shades of brown and gray, with four small eyespots on the hindwing. The adult butterfly lives for just two weeks.
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Frequently asked questions
Animalia.
Arthropoda.
Insecta.
Lepidoptera.
Nymphalidae.
