Vanessa cardui, Painted Lady

The Painted Lady is one of our largest butterflies and can be seen in Britain throughout the year although they are at there most common in mid to late summer. The upper wings are buff-orange near the body with dark brown/black markings with white patches towards the tips of the wings. The hind wings are also buff-orange with a row of dark brown/black circular spots. At the tip of the hind wings, a small area of blue colouration is present.

The underside of the wings are pale buff-brown/grey overall but on closer inspection, the pattern consists of a lattice of white veins in-between which are patches of dark browns and orange in different tones. Towards the outer edge of the hind wings, a row of distinctive metallic blue eyespots, circled with cream, red and black shimmer like jewels.

Newly emerged Painted Lady butterflies are often described as being Salmon Pink in colour, but as they age, the colours become more muted as described above.

The Painted Lady is a powerful flyer and is well known for its ability to migrate great distances. In Britain, although the species breeds, it is unable to survive our winters and does not hibernate in Britain. There may be individuals which occasionally survive the winter on the south coast.

The vast majority of the Painted Lady butterflies seen in Britain are the result of migration. Each spring, individuals migrate from North Africa. Some make the whole journey across Europe to the UK stopping occasionally to feed, while others may be 2nd, 3rd or 4th generation individuals which breed and migrate north in stages. Some arrive in early spring but in most years, the main influx of these butterflies starts in late May into early July. Numbers in Britain vary from year to year depending upon breeding conditions in north Africa and Europe and favourable weather systems which help to bring them across the English Channel. In good years, it is possible to watch Painted Ladies flying in from the sea in large numbers.