Australian painted lady significantly affected by these changes. It has been found to use some species of carduine thistles, which are invasive to Australia, as host plants in New South Wales. Australian painted ladies use the plants as hosts during their larval stage, and as food sources. However, they inflict little damage to the plant. Australian painted lady The Australian painted lady ("Vanessa kershawi") butterfly is mostly confined to Australia, although westerly winds have dispersed it to islands east of Australia, including New Zealand. Debate surrounds the taxonomy of this species. Some believe that the Australian painted lady should be a subspecies of
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