Species: Vanessa cardui
Painted Lady
Species
Encyclopedia of Puget Sound
Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Mandibulata
Class
Insecta
Order
Lepidoptera
Family
Nymphalidae
Genus
Vanessa
NatureServe
Classification
Other Global Common Names
belle dame
Informal Taxonomy
Animals, Invertebrates - Insects - Butterflies and Moths - Butterflies and Skippers
Formal Taxonomy
Animalia - Mandibulata - Insecta - Lepidoptera - Nymphalidae - Vanessa
Ecology and Life History
Short General Description
Butterfly, Nymphalidae.
Migration
false - false - false
Non-migrant
false
Locally Migrant
false
Food Comments
Larvae most often on thistles but many others reported.
Conservation Status
NatureServe Global Status Rank
G5
Global Status Last Reviewed
2009-08-14
Global Status Last Changed
1998-09-01
Distribution
Conservation Status Map
<img src="http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/GetMapGif?CA.BC=S5&CA.LB=S4&CA.MB=S5&CA.NB=S5&CA.NF=S5&CA.NS=S4&CA.ON=S5&CA.PE=S4&CA.QC=S5&CA.SK=S5&US.AL=SNR&US.AZ=SNR&US.AR=S5&US.CA=S5&US.CO=S5&US.CT=S5&US.DE=S5&US.DC=S4&US.FL=S5&US.GA=S5&US.HI=SE&US.ID=__&US.IL=__&US.IN=S5&US.IA=SNR&US.KS=__&US.KY=S5&US.LA=__&US.ME=S5&US.MD=S5&US.MA=S5&US.MI=S5&US.MN=SNR&US.MS=S5&US.MO=S5&US.MT=S5&US.NE=S5&US.NV=__&US.NH=S5&US.NJ=__&US.NM=SNR&US.NY=S5&US.NC=__&US.ND=S5&US.OH=__&US.OK=S5&US.OR=__&US.PA=__&US.RI=__&US.SC=__&US.SD=__&US.TN=__&US.TX=S5&US.UT=__&US.VT=S5&US.VA=S5&US.WA=__&US.WV=__&US.WI=S5&US.WY=__" alt="Conservation Status Map" style="width: 475px; height: auto;" />
Global Range
H - >2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles) - H - Holarctic: in North America, Panama north to the southern United States. Migrates north to sub-Arctic North America, but dies off in winter. Established virtually worldwide; the most widespread species of butterfly in the world.
Global Range Code
H
Global Range Description
>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)