Vanessa cardui of the same species, he begins pursuit of her. If the foreign butterfly is a male, the original male will give chase, flying vertically for a few feet before returning to his perch. "V. cardui" establishes territories within areas sheltered by hedgerows. "Vanessa cardui" tend to inhabit sunny, brightly lit, open environments and are often attracted to open areas of flowers and clovers. Adults spend time in small depressions in the ground on overcast days. Larvae feed on Asteraceae species, including "Cirsium", "Carduus", "Centaurea", "Arctium", "Onopordum", "Helianthus", and "Artemisia". The painted lady uses over 300 recorded host plants according to
Brachycaudus cardui Brachycaudus cardui Brachycaudus cardui is a species of aphid, commonly known as the thistle aphid or the plum-thistle aphid. It infests trees in the genus "Prunus" in the spring and autumn, and mostly plants in the aster family in the summer. The viviparous wingless females of "B. cardui" have an oval or pear-shaped body and grow to a length of from . The colour may be green, yellowish, reddish or brown. The abdomen has a dark, shining patch on the dorsal surface, a fact which distinguishes this species from the otherwise similar plum leaf curl aphid ("Brachycaudus helichrysi"). Nymphs often