American painted lady American painted lady The American painted lady or American lady ("Vanessa virginiensis") is a butterfly found throughout North America. The larvae feed on various Asteraceae, such as the cudweeds (genus "Gnaphalium"), the pussytoes ("Antennaria"), and the everlastings ("Anaphalis"), which all belong to tribe Gnaphalieae. All stages of the life cycle can be found throughout temperate North America as well as Madeira and the Canary Islands. Occasionally individuals can be found as far as southwest Europe. "Vanessa virginiensis" is most easily distinguishable by its two large eyespots on the ventral side, whereas "V. cardui" has four small eyespots and "V. annabella"
Australian painted lady many others consider the Australian painted lady to be a separate species. During spring, adult butterflies migrate south in large numbers from northern states of Queensland and New South Wales. To find mates, male Australian painted ladies exhibit territorial behaviour, which involves a male perching on vegetation in a sunny spot on a hilltop, waiting for females to fly by. Despite urbanization and invasive plants altering its habitat, populations of Australian painted ladies have not been significantly impacted by these changes. The Australian painted lady is remarkably similar to the painted lady ("Vanessa cardui"). It is differentiated by its smaller