Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)
Family: Nymphalidae Checklist: 59.024
Description
Wing span: 59-74 mm. The Painted Lady is a migrant to the British Isles. The number arriving each year is very variable. Occasionally there are very large influxes (eg 2009), whereas in other years it is rarely seen at all. The sexes are similar. It can be seen anywhere in the British Isles. It can be found in any type of habitat.Life Cycle
Adults usually start arriving in late March and continue into May and June. These breed and give rise to the next generation that peaks between mid-August and early October. There may be more than one brood, depending largely on the weather. Adults migrate back to the Mediterranean region and North Africa in the autumn. None of its stages are able to over-winter successfully in Britain.
Earliest UTB first sighting (since 2004): 20th February
Mean UTB first sighting (since 2004): 22nd April
Larval Foodplants
The main larval food plants are Musk Thistle (Carduus nutans), Spear Thistle (Cirsium vulgare) and Creeping Thistle (Cirsium arvense).Nectar Sources
Thistles and Teasel are favourite nectar sources for adults.UK Conservation Status
Least ConcernSites
This species is a habitat generalist, so can be found almost anywhere in the UTB region.Related Species
