Kebnat
INSECTS

Painted Lady

Vanessa cardui

Insects
NativeMigratoryDiurnal
Painted Lady, photo 1 of 5
Painted Lady, Caterpillar
Painted Lady, Pupa
32 mmLength
51 mmWingspan

Butterfly or moth in the family Nymphalidae with a wingspan of 51 mm. Migratory and diurnal. Lives on the tundra. Feeds on plants and nectar.

There are 730 observations of Painted Lady in Québec, mostly in Montréal, Montérégie and Outaouais, and it has been reported in every region. They peak in September and become rare from November to May.

Through the year

JFMAMJJASOND

Where to see it

  1. Montréal188
  2. Montérégie150
  3. Outaouais63
  4. Laurentides48
  5. Capitale-Nationale42
  6. Estrie38
  7. Mauricie30
  8. Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean26
  9. Côte-Nord26
  10. Chaudière-Appalaches20
  11. Lanaudière17
  12. Bas-Saint-Laurent17
  13. Abitibi-Témiscamingue17
  14. Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine15
  15. Nord-du-Québec13
  16. Centre-du-Québec11
  17. Laval9

Habitat

TundraMartin Tuchscherer

What the caterpillar eats

Dwarf nettleUrtica urens
Creeping thistleCirsium arvense
Bull thistleCirsium vulgare
HollyhockAlcea rosea
Lesser burdockArctium minus
Louisiana sagewortArtemisia ludoviciana
TOXIC
Milk thistleSilybum marianum
American elmUlmus americana
OldwomanArtemisia stelleriana
Field thistleCirsium discolor
Pearly everlastingAnaphalis margaritacea
Common plantainPlantago major

Similar species

American LadyVanessa virginiensis
Red AdmiralVanessa atalanta
MonarchDanaus plexippus
Hackberry EmperorAsterocampa celtis
Pearl CrescentPhyciodes tharos
Variegated FritillaryEuptoieta claudia
Compton TortoiseshellNymphalis l-album
Silvery CheckerspotChlosyne nycteis