Australian painted lady Within Australia, the Australian painted lady is commonly found throughout southern Australia, below the Tropic of Capricorn. It is uncommon to find this butterfly in Queensland, and it is completely absent from the far north of the country, in the tropical rainforests. Although it is most common in Australia, it has also become common throughout New Zealand following periodic migrations across the sea, from Australia. Since the butterflies do not reproduce or overwinter in New Zealand, they are only considered an established species in Australia. Within its range, it is found in urban areas. The life cycle of the Australian
Painted lady with blue pupils. The black forewing tips have four to five white spots; usually the largest is whitish orange. The West Coast lady ("V. annabella") does not have obvious ventral eyespots. On the dorsal side, "V. anabella" lacks a white dot in the subapical orange found in "V. virginiensis", and is a purer orange color. "V. annabella" has a fully orange subapical band and leading edge on the forewing. The submarginal row of hindwing spots in "V. annabella" features three or four blue pupils. The two larger pupils in "V. annabella" are the inner spots, rather than the outer spots