Painted lady Vanessa cardui
What do they look like?
The usual colours seen on a painted lady are an intricate pattern of pale orange and black on the upper sides of both fore- and hindwings, which is replaced by a black and white pattern towards the tips of the forewings. Newly emerged adults are described as having a rose-pink tinge but this rapidly fades and older individuals can look quite dull. The underside of the forewing has a distinctive orange and black colouration but the hindwing underside is a mottled brown. The sexes are similar.
The wingspan is between 58 and 70mm for males; 62 to 74mm for females.
Where are they found? (in Britain and Ireland)
All Britain and Ireland.
What is their preferred habitat outside gardens?
Dry open areas, such as sand dunes, heaths, grassland and brownfield sites, are the preferred habitat but in a year with many migrants the butterflies can be found anywhere. Intensively-farmed areas may also be colonised if they contain some thistles.
Resident or migrant?
Summer migrant mainly from North Africa.
When to see them?
Painted ladies generally start to arrive at the end of March although sightings have been recorded as early as January in the south of England. The migrant butterflies build to a peak in May and June and then another peak occurs in late July and early August when the new local brood emerges. In some years there can be more than one brood.
What happens in winter?
It seems that painted ladies can’t survive our winter in any of their life cycle stages. Until a few years ago it was speculated that they might just die in the UK. But research published in 2012 showed that the butterflies do migrate south. The return journey is done in stages and takes several generations so that the butterflies returning in the autumn are not the same individuals that flew out of Africa in the spring1..
What do the early stages look like?
The early stages are similar to those of the red admiral, which is unsurprising as they are closely related.
Eggs are laid singly and fade from green to grey
Newly emerged larvae are a pale olive colour, growing quickly to dark bristly caterpillars. They also construct tents from folded leaves.
The pupa is again formed within a "tent". It is pale brown to pearly, with prominent dorsal bumps in a contrasting colour
What do the caterpillars eat?
They mainly feed on
thistles Carduus spp. and
Cirsium spp. but common nettle
Urtica dioica, mallows
Malva spp. and
viper's-bugloss Echium vulgare are also recorded as foodplants
2..
What do the caterpillars eat?
They mainly feed on thistles Carduus spp. and Cirsium spp. but common nettle Urtica dioica, mallows Malva spp. and viper's-bugloss Echium vulgare are also recorded as foodplants2..
Flowers they take nectar from
Adults take nectar primarily from thistles. Brambles, buddleja, bugle, common bird's-foot-trefoil, common fleabane, devil's-bit scabious, hawkweeds, heathers, hemp-agrimony, ivy, knapweeds, ragworts, red clover, wild marjoram and wild privet are also used3..
How are they doing?
Populations vary extremely widely from year to year but even allowing for this there is a long-term increase in numbers probably due to global climate change. The 2022 State of UK butterflies report notes an increase in numbers of 141% and an increase in distribution of 18% since 19764..
Other interesting facts
The numbers of migrant painted ladies arriving in the British Isles can be staggering. In 2009 around 11 million of these butterflies arrived in the UK – this is thought to be one of the greatest butterfly migrations to the British Isles ever. It has recently been shown that painted lady butterflies found in south America (where they do not normally exist) must have flown across the Atlantic from West Africa, helped by strong winds5..
References
4. State of UK Butterflies 2022 report
5. Suchan, T. et al. (2024) A trans-oceanic flight of over 4,200 km by painted lady butterflies. Nature Communications 15:5205 (available here)
Page written by Judy Skinner, reviewed and compiled by Steve Head
Painted lady Vanessa cardui
What do they look like?
The usual colours seen on a painted lady are an intricate pattern of pale orange and black on the upper sides of both fore- and hindwings, which is replaced by a black and white pattern towards the tips of the forewings. Newly emerged adults are described as having a rose-pink tinge but this rapidly fades and older individuals can look quite dull. The underside of the forewing has a distinctive orange and black colouration but the hindwing underside is a mottled brown. The sexes are similar.
The wingspan is between 58 and 70mm for males; 62 to 74mm for females.
Where are they found? (in Britain and Ireland)
All Britain and Ireland.
What is their preferred habitat outside gardens?
Dry open areas, such as sand dunes, heaths, grassland and brownfield sites, are the preferred habitat but in a year with many migrants the butterflies can be found anywhere. Intensively-farmed areas may also be colonised if they contain some thistles.
Resident or migrant?
Summer migrant mainly from North Africa.
When to see them?
Painted ladies generally start to arrive at the end of March although sightings have been recorded as early as January in the south of England. The migrant butterflies build to a peak in May and June and then another peak occurs in late July and early August when the new local brood emerges. In some years there can be more than one brood.
What happens in winter?
It seems that painted ladies can’t survive our winter in any of their life cycle stages. Until a few years ago it was speculated that they might just die in the UK. But research published in 2012 showed that the butterflies do migrate south. The return journey is done in stages and takes several generations so that the butterflies returning in the autumn are not the same individuals that flew out of Africa in the spring1..
What do the early stages look like?
The early stages are similar to those of the red admiral, which is unsurprising as they are closely related.
Eggs are laid singly and fade from green to grey
Newly emerged larvae are a pale olive colour, growing quickly to dark bristly caterpillars. They also construct tents from folded leaves.
The pupa is again formed within a "tent". It is pale brown to pearly, with prominent dorsal bumps in a contrasting colour
Flowers they take nectar from
Adults take nectar primarily from thistles. Brambles, buddleja, bugle, common bird's-foot-trefoil, common fleabane, devil's-bit scabious, hawkweeds, heathers, hemp-agrimony, ivy, knapweeds, ragworts, red clover, wild marjoram and wild privet are also used3..
How are they doing?
Populations vary extremely widely from year to year but even allowing for this there is a long-term increase in numbers probably due to global climate change. The 2022 State of UK butterflies report notes an increase in numbers of 141% and an increase in distribution of 18% since 19764..
Other interesting facts
The numbers of migrant painted ladies arriving in the British Isles can be staggering. In 2009 around 11 million of these butterflies arrived in the UK – this is thought to be one of the greatest butterfly migrations to the British Isles ever. It has recently been shown that painted lady butterflies found in south America (where they do not normally exist) must have flown across the Atlantic from West Africa, helped by strong winds5..
References
4. State of UK Butterflies 2022
report
5. Suchan, T. et al. (2024) A trans-oceanic flight of over 4,200 km by painted lady butterflies. Nature Communications 15:5205 (available
here)
Page written by Judy Skinner, reviewed and compiled by Steve Head