Painted Lady butterfly
Vanessa cardui
family - Nymphalidae
I think of the Painted Lady butterfly as "big and brown" but the predominent colour of the upperside of the wings is best described as orange/tan/pink. There are white markings against the dark brown/black edge of the wingtips. The underside of the wings are lighter-coloured than other common butterflies from the Nymphalidae family - mainly white and orange/tan/pink.
My personal observations of the Painted Lady butterfly
months seen in my garden: June, end July-October, most in August
garden plants that attract this species:
Buddleia, Ceratostigma,
Escallonia, Hebe,
Helichrysum, Heliotrope,
Hemp Agrimony, Hyssop,
Marigold, Red
Valerian, Scabious,
Sedum, Sweet William,
Verbena, Zinnia
Butterfly sightings 2005:
First sighting of Painted Lady, 1 August
Painted Lady on Hebe, 5 August
Painted Lady on Verbena bonariensis at Berkeley Castle, 3 September
Painted Lady on Hemp agrimony at Coaley Peak, 3 September
Butterfly sightings 2004:
Painted Lady on Escallonia, 12 June
top 10 memorable images of 2003:
I have 90 digital images saved from 2003. Here's a selection of 10 (click on the thumbnail to view the full size image):
On Buddleia Nanho Blue. August
2.
On pink Hyssop. Side view. August
6.
On Buddleia. Side view. August
4.
Looking at the top of the wings from rear. Buddleia 'White Profusion' with
edge of Comma wing in foreground. August
4.
Hanging upside down on Buddleia Nanho Blue. July
30.
Top view on Sedum spectabile. August
23.
From the back! July 30.
Side view on Verbena. August
5.
Another side view. August 12.
Picture taken in the "cut flower garden" at Stourhead, Wilts.
I think the plant is Zinnia.
I had read that Hemp Agrimony was a butterfly-attracting plant. Here's the
blurry evidence; Small Tortoiseshell in the foreground. August
12.
A selection of images from previous years:
13 September 2002 on Scabious
9 September 2000 on Ceratostigma
15 August 2000 on Helichrysum
14 August 1999 on Buddleia
August 1998 on Hebe
observations:
If you'd like to try photographing butterflies, I recommend the Painted Lady butterfly as possibly the easiest to photograph.
Painted Lady butterflies like Buddleia and Verbena bonariensis in particular.
2003 was a good year for migrating Painted Lady butterflies and I recorded 8 sightings in June; in contrast, I didn't see a Painted Lady butterfly until August in 2002.
Reference Section
Size: 65mm (between Small White & Large White - see list of butterflies by size)
First Generation flight period: May-June
Second Generation flight period: August-September
This butterfly species is classed as a regular migrant. They come from North Africa - sometimes in great clouds apparently. Once here they produce the next generation but can not survive the cold of a traditional British winter (except for the odd one in Cornwall?)
Habitat:
Larval Food Plants: Thistles, Burdocks, Mallows & Nettles
Wild Nectar Plants: Hemp Agrimony
Family Group: Nymphalidae - see list of butterflies by family