Vanessa cardui

Ge­o­graphic Range

Painted ladies (Vanessa car­dui) are one of the most widely dis­trib­uted species of but­ter­fly, and can be found on all con­ti­nents ex­cept Antarc­tica and Aus­tralia. They live in most bio­geo­graphic re­gions, in­clud­ing Nearc­tic, Palearc­tic, Neotrop­i­cal, Ethiopian, Ori­en­tal, and Oceanic Is­lands. The ter­ri­tory size of the Painted Lady is vast enough to cover all of North Amer­ica, south to Panama, and are also nat­u­ral­ized in Asia, Africa, and Eu­rope. ("At­trib­utes of Vanessa car­dui", 2013; Orsak, 1977; Painter, 2013)

Habi­tat

Painted Ladies live in areas with wide open areas of veg­e­ta­tion such as fields and mead­ows. How­ever, they can be found in sub­ur­ban, agri­cul­tural, swamp, bog, marsh, tun­dra, taiga, desert or dune, chap­ar­ral, for­est, rain­for­est, scrub for­est, and moun­tain habi­tats as well. Vanessa car­dui is ex­tremely adapt­able and thus can pros­per in its niche in any of these en­vi­ron­ments. Painted Ladies can be found at all el­e­va­tions dur­ing mi­gra­tion but are usu­ally found at el­e­va­tions as low as sea level year round, even dur­ing non-mi­gra­tory time. ("At­trib­utes of Vanessa car­dui", 2013; Orsak, 1977; Painter, 2013)

Phys­i­cal De­scrip­tion

Adults of Vanessa car­dui are about 5.1 to 7.3 cm in length. The upper side of their wings are or­ange-brown with darker wing bases. Forewings have a white bar, and the rear wings have a row of five tiny black dots. The un­der­side of their wings have brown, black,and gray pat­terns with tiny sub­mar­ginal eye­spots.

Eggs of the Painted Lady ap­pear to be pale green in color, with 14 to 19 ver­ti­cal ribs. Lar­vae are gray­ish brown and darker at the ends. They have a yel­low stripe run­ning down the back of their body, and spikes fol­low the curve of the back and sides of their body. Pupae can be a va­ri­ety of col­ors in­clud­ing a metal­lic green, brown, or bluish-white. ("At­trib­utes of Vanessa car­dui", 2013; Brian, 1990; Pyle, 1981)

  • Sexual Dimorphism
  • sexes alike
  • Range length
    5.1 to 7.3 cm
    2.01 to 2.87 in
  • Average length
    6.4 cm
    2.52 in
  • Range wingspan
    5.1 to 7.3 cm
    2.01 to 2.87 in
  • Average wingspan
    6.4 cm
    2.52 in

De­vel­op­ment

Vanessa car­dui is holometabolous. Fe­males lay eggs on a host plant, such as those from the Com­posi­tae fam­ily, that will serve as a food source. After hatch­ing, the lar­vae feed con­tin­u­ously and con­struct silken tents on the host plant. They molt sev­eral times over the next few weeks be­fore mov­ing on to the next stage in meta­mor­pho­sis. As a pupae, it forms a co­coon, and fol­low­ing the com­ple­tion of pu­pa­tion, it emerges as an adult but­ter­fly. De­vel­op­ment of the Painted Lady is de­pen­dent on the cli­mate; faster de­vel­op­ment oc­curs in warmer cli­mates. In sub­trop­i­cal areas, com­ple­tion of de­vel­op­ment can take 33 to 44 days. In cooler cli­mates, de­vel­op­ment can take up­wards of 60 days. ("At­trib­utes of Vanessa car­dui", 2013; Orsak, 1977; Ste­fanescu, et al., 2013)

Re­pro­duc­tion

Vanessa car­dui males are ter­ri­to­r­ial and will wait for a fe­male to cross paths with them to court. The Painted Lady males will mate with mul­ti­ple fe­males in a sea­son to en­sure as much prog­eny as pos­si­ble. (Painter, 2013; Saul, 1994)

Painted ladies will mate year round in warm cli­mates but re­pro­duc­tive be­hav­ior stops in the fall of tem­per­ate areas. In lab­o­ra­tory set­tings, sci­en­tists have ob­served up to 8 gen­er­a­tions in a year. Fe­males will lay about 500 eggs, each singly laid on a host plant. Off­spring are in­de­pen­dent of their mother after being laid. Both male and fe­males be­come sex­u­ally ma­ture five to seven days after emerg­ing from their co­coons. Mat­ing and re­pro­duc­tion also take place through­out their mass mi­gra­tions, pro­duc­ing mul­ti­ple gen­er­a­tions un­der­tak­ing the mi­gra­tion. (Ste­fanescu, et al., 2013; Painter, 2013; Saul, 1994; Ste­fanescu, et al., 2013)

  • Breeding interval
    Painted ladies breed year round, climate permitting.
  • Breeding season
    Mating takes place year round, except in cooler areas where it stops in the fall and winter.
  • Average eggs per season
    500
  • Range gestation period
    20 to 25 days
  • Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)
    5 to 7 days
  • Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)
    5 to 7 days

Fe­males pro­vide pro­vi­sion­ing in eggs, and also lay their eggs on host plants, pro­vid­ing the lar­vae with a food source upon hatch­ing. Vanessa car­dui adults pro­vide no fur­ther care. (Painter, 2013; Saul, 1994)

  • Parental Investment
  • pre-hatching/birth
    • provisioning
      • female

Lifes­pan/Longevity

The lifes­pan of Vanessa car­dui is short, av­er­ag­ing about a year from egg to death. In lab­o­ra­tory con­di­tions, adults live for about 10 to 24 days after pu­pa­tion. (Ste­fanescu, et al., 2013)

  • Average lifespan
    Status: wild
    1 years

Be­hav­ior

Each year, Vanessa car­dui makes huge, multi-gen­er­a­tional, mass mi­gra­tions up to 15000 km long in the Palearc­tic. In the spring, these but­ter­flies move north­ward from their over­win­ter­ing places in Africa, through the Mediter­ranean, to much of the Eu­ro­pean con­ti­nent, and they then mi­grate back in the fall. Vanessa car­dui uses fa­vor­able high al­ti­tude winds to move rapidly across the con­ti­nents. Mil­lions of but­ter­flies par­take in these mi­gra­tions, though the num­bers fluc­tu­ate every year. The mi­gra­tion al­lows these but­ter­fly pop­u­la­tions to take ad­van­tage of the changes in re­sources as the sea­sons change, mov­ing north in the sum­mer to avoid the hot tem­per­a­tures in Africa, and mov­ing south again to avoid the cold win­ters of north­ern Eu­rope. This pat­tern is sim­i­larly re­flected in the United States, where V. car­dui mi­grates from Mex­ico to the north­ern United States and Canada.

Vanessa car­dui mates along the way, quickly pro­duc­ing more gen­er­a­tions. Pop­u­la­tions begin to mi­grate north­wards in March and April, and pro­duce local gen­er­a­tions as soon as May and June along the way. The mi­grants do not make it to the north­ern parts of Eu­rope til late May and June. The Painted Ladies con­tinue to breed, and by late Au­gust they are head­ing south again. They also stop to breed along the re­turn mi­gra­tion, pro­duc­ing more gen­er­a­tions in Sep­tem­ber and Oc­to­ber. Breed­ing is fairly low in the win­ter. ("At­trib­utes of Vanessa car­dui", 2013; Ste­fanescu, et al., 2013)

Home Range

Dur­ing times of mi­gra­tion, pop­u­la­tions of Vanessa car­dui can move thou­sands of kilo­me­ters. (Ste­fanescu, et al., 2013)

Com­mu­ni­ca­tion and Per­cep­tion

The Painted Lady com­mu­ni­cates through phys­i­cal ac­tions, chem­i­cals, color, and sound. Lar­vae have lim­ited, poor vi­sion, though they can see red through ul­tra­vi­o­let on the color spec­trum. Adults have com­pound eyes made up of thou­sand of om­ma­tidia, which al­lows them to dis­tin­guish mates and host plants. ("Life cycle of a but­ter­fly", 2003; Pyle, 1981)

Food Habits

Vanessa car­dui is a polyphagous her­bi­vore that has been recorded feed­ing from more than 100 dif­fer­ent plant species. Adult Painted Ladies pre­fer nec­tar from com­pos­ites 3 to 6 feet high from plants such as aster, cos­mos, blaz­ing star, iron weed, joe-pye, red clover, but­ton bush, privet, milk­weeds, and this­tles. Adults have also been ob­served con­sum­ing hon­ey­dew, a byprod­uct of aphids. Lar­vae feed on leaves from plants such as cheese­weed, this­tles, dwarf net­tle, lupine, fid­dle­neck, and many dif­fer­ent mem­bers of the daisy fam­ily, Com­posi­tae. ("At­trib­utes of Vanessa car­dui", 2013; Ste­fanescu, et al., 2013)

  • Plant Foods
  • leaves
  • nectar

Pre­da­tion

Known preda­tors of Vanessa car­dui in­clude birds, bats, ants, wasps, and spi­ders. Adult Painted Ladies use cam­ou­flage and flight to evade preda­tors. The anti-preda­tor adap­ta­tions for the lar­vae have not been de­ter­mined. ("At­trib­utes of Vanessa car­dui", 2013)

  • Anti-predator Adaptations
  • cryptic

Ecosys­tem Roles

Vanessa car­dui is a pol­li­na­tor of the plants and flow­ers in its habi­tat. More than 100 plants have been recorded to act as hosts for Painted Lady lar­vae, but the most com­mon in­clude this­tles, hol­ly­hock, mal­low, milk­weed, aster, and a va­ri­ety of legumes. These plants are also a com­mon source of nec­tar for the Painted Lady adults. The plants share a mu­tu­al­is­tic re­la­tion­ship with the but­ter­flies by of­fer­ing their fra­grances and nec­tar in ex­change for as­sist­ing in pol­li­na­tion. Vanessa car­dui is a key el­e­ment in the food chain, serv­ing as prey for birds, bats and other in­sects. They can also be used as hosts by a large va­ri­ety of par­a­sites and par­a­sitoids that at­tack both the lar­val and pupal stages, in­clud­ing ta­chinid flies (Ex­orista seg­re­gata and Stur­mia bella), ich­neu­monid wasps (Thyrate­les cameli­nus, Cote­sia vanes­sae, Cote­sia vestalis and Dolichogenidea sicaria), and chal­cid wasps (Ptero­ma­lus pu­parum). ("At­trib­utes of Vanessa car­dui", 2013; Ste­fanescu, et al., 2012)

  • Ecosystem Impact
  • pollinates
Species Used as Host
  • this­tles, Aster­aceae
  • hol­ly­hock, Alcea
  • mal­low, Mal­vaceae
  • milk­weed, As­cle­pias
  • aster, Aster­aceae
  • legumes, Fabaceae
Com­men­sal/Par­a­sitic Species

Eco­nomic Im­por­tance for Hu­mans: Pos­i­tive

Vanessa car­dui as­sists with pol­li­na­tion; with pol­li­na­tion comes more plants and thus more oxy­gen. The pres­ence of but­ter­flies also in­di­cates a healthy en­vi­ron­ment, so changes in pop­u­la­tions can lead to ex­plo­ration and re­search of habi­tats and ecosys­tems by sci­en­tists. (Painter, 2013)

  • Positive Impacts
  • pollinates crops

Eco­nomic Im­por­tance for Hu­mans: Neg­a­tive

The lar­vae are known to con­sume crops of beans, ar­ti­chokes, and mint which are all food sources to hu­mans. (Orsak, 1977)

  • Negative Impacts
  • crop pest

Con­ser­va­tion Sta­tus

Vanessa car­dui is not en­dan­gered and does not re­quire con­ser­va­tion ef­forts at this time.

Con­trib­u­tors

Rachel Kreiger (au­thor), Bridge­wa­ter Col­lege, Cody Noblitt (au­thor), Bridge­wa­ter Col­lege, Tamara John­stone-Yellin (ed­i­tor), Bridge­wa­ter Col­lege, An­gela Miner (ed­i­tor), An­i­mal Di­ver­sity Web Staff.

Glossary

Ethiopian

living in sub-Saharan Africa (south of 30 degrees north) and Madagascar.

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Nearctic

living in the Nearctic biogeographic province, the northern part of the New World. This includes Greenland, the Canadian Arctic islands, and all of the North American as far south as the highlands of central Mexico.

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Neotropical

living in the southern part of the New World. In other words, Central and South America.

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Palearctic

living in the northern part of the Old World. In otherwords, Europe and Asia and northern Africa.

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acoustic

uses sound to communicate

agricultural

living in landscapes dominated by human agriculture.

bilateral symmetry

having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.

bog

a wetland area rich in accumulated plant material and with acidic soils surrounding a body of open water. Bogs have a flora dominated by sedges, heaths, and sphagnum.

chaparral

Found in coastal areas between 30 and 40 degrees latitude, in areas with a Mediterranean climate. Vegetation is dominated by stands of dense, spiny shrubs with tough (hard or waxy) evergreen leaves. May be maintained by periodic fire. In South America it includes the scrub ecotone between forest and paramo.

chemical

uses smells or other chemicals to communicate

cryptic

having markings, coloration, shapes, or other features that cause an animal to be camouflaged in its natural environment; being difficult to see or otherwise detect.

desert or dunes

in deserts low (less than 30 cm per year) and unpredictable rainfall results in landscapes dominated by plants and animals adapted to aridity. Vegetation is typically sparse, though spectacular blooms may occur following rain. Deserts can be cold or warm and daily temperates typically fluctuate. In dune areas vegetation is also sparse and conditions are dry. This is because sand does not hold water well so little is available to plants. In dunes near seas and oceans this is compounded by the influence of salt in the air and soil. Salt limits the ability of plants to take up water through their roots.

diurnal
  1. active during the day, 2. lasting for one day.
ectothermic

animals which must use heat acquired from the environment and behavioral adaptations to regulate body temperature

fertilization

union of egg and spermatozoan

forest

forest biomes are dominated by trees, otherwise forest biomes can vary widely in amount of precipitation and seasonality.

herbivore

An animal that eats mainly plants or parts of plants.

heterothermic

having a body temperature that fluctuates with that of the immediate environment; having no mechanism or a poorly developed mechanism for regulating internal body temperature.

internal fertilization

fertilization takes place within the female's body

iteroparous

offspring are produced in more than one group (litters, clutches, etc.) and across multiple seasons (or other periods hospitable to reproduction). Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons (or periodic condition changes).

marsh

marshes are wetland areas often dominated by grasses and reeds.

metamorphosis

A large change in the shape or structure of an animal that happens as the animal grows. In insects, "incomplete metamorphosis" is when young animals are similar to adults and change gradually into the adult form, and "complete metamorphosis" is when there is a profound change between larval and adult forms. Butterflies have complete metamorphosis, grasshoppers have incomplete metamorphosis.

migratory

makes seasonal movements between breeding and wintering grounds

motile

having the capacity to move from one place to another.

mountains

This terrestrial biome includes summits of high mountains, either without vegetation or covered by low, tundra-like vegetation.

native range

the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.

nectarivore

an animal that mainly eats nectar from flowers

oceanic islands

islands that are not part of continental shelf areas, they are not, and have never been, connected to a continental land mass, most typically these are volcanic islands.

oriental

found in the oriental region of the world. In other words, India and southeast Asia.

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oviparous

reproduction in which eggs are released by the female; development of offspring occurs outside the mother's body.

polygynous

having more than one female as a mate at one time

rainforest

rainforests, both temperate and tropical, are dominated by trees often forming a closed canopy with little light reaching the ground. Epiphytes and climbing plants are also abundant. Precipitation is typically not limiting, but may be somewhat seasonal.

riparian

Referring to something living or located adjacent to a waterbody (usually, but not always, a river or stream).

scrub forest

scrub forests develop in areas that experience dry seasons.

sexual

reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female

suburban

living in residential areas on the outskirts of large cities or towns.

swamp

a wetland area that may be permanently or intermittently covered in water, often dominated by woody vegetation.

taiga

Coniferous or boreal forest, located in a band across northern North America, Europe, and Asia. This terrestrial biome also occurs at high elevations. Long, cold winters and short, wet summers. Few species of trees are present; these are primarily conifers that grow in dense stands with little undergrowth. Some deciduous trees also may be present.

temperate

that region of the Earth between 23.5 degrees North and 60 degrees North (between the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle) and between 23.5 degrees South and 60 degrees South (between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle).

terrestrial

Living on the ground.

tropical

the region of the earth that surrounds the equator, from 23.5 degrees north to 23.5 degrees south.

tropical savanna and grassland

A terrestrial biome. Savannas are grasslands with scattered individual trees that do not form a closed canopy. Extensive savannas are found in parts of subtropical and tropical Africa and South America, and in Australia.

savanna

A grassland with scattered trees or scattered clumps of trees, a type of community intermediate between grassland and forest. See also Tropical savanna and grassland biome.

temperate grassland

A terrestrial biome found in temperate latitudes (>23.5° N or S latitude). Vegetation is made up mostly of grasses, the height and species diversity of which depend largely on the amount of moisture available. Fire and grazing are important in the long-term maintenance of grasslands.

tundra

A terrestrial biome with low, shrubby or mat-like vegetation found at extremely high latitudes or elevations, near the limit of plant growth. Soils usually subject to permafrost. Plant diversity is typically low and the growing season is short.

urban

living in cities and large towns, landscapes dominated by human structures and activity.

visual

uses sight to communicate

year-round breeding

breeding takes place throughout the year

Ref­er­ences

2013. "At­trib­utes of Vanessa car­dui" (On-line). But­ter­flies and Moths of North Amer­ica. Ac­cessed March 29, 2014 at http://​www.​butterfliesandmoths.​org/​species/​Vanessa-cardui.

2003. "Life cycle of a but­ter­fly" (On-line). Earth's Birth­day Pro­ject. Ac­cessed March 29, 2014 at http://​earthsbirthday.​org/​butterflies/​butterfly-lifecycle.

2014. "Painted lady" (On-line). About In­sects. Ac­cessed March 29, 2014 at http://​insects.​about.​com/​od/​butterfliesmoths/​p/​Vcardui.​htm.

Brian, C. 1990. "Painted lady" (On-line). Ac­cessed March 29, 2014 at http://​www.​massaudubon.​org/​learn/​nature-wildlife/​insects/​butterflies/​find-a-butterfly/​%28id%29/​90.

Jack­man, J. 1999. A field guide to com­mon Texas in­sects. Land­ham, Mary­land: Tay­lor Trade Pub­lish­ing.

Orsak, L. 1977. "Painted lady, Vanessa car­dui" (On-line). Ac­cessed March 29, 2014 at http://​nathistoc.​bio.​uci.​edu/​lepidopt/​nymph/​plady.​htm.

Painter, T. 2013. "A study of north Vir­ginia ecol­ogy" (On-line). Ac­cessed March 29, 2014 at http://​www.​fcps.​edu/​islandcreekes/​ecology/​painted_​lady.​htm.

Pyle, . 1981. Na­tional Audubon So­ci­ety Field Guide to North Amer­i­can But­ter­flies. New York, New York: Knopf.

Saul, L. 1994. "Painted lady but­ter­fly" (On-line). Ac­cessed March 29, 2014 at https://​www.​yumpu.​com/​es/​document/​view/​11488279/​painted-lady-butterfly-info-sheet-savenatureorg.

Ste­fanescu, C., R. Askew, J. Cor­bera, M. Shaw. 2012. Par­a­sitism and mi­gra­tion in south­ern Palaearc­tic pop­u­la­tions of the painted lady but­ter­fly, Vanessa car­dui (Lep­i­doptera: Nymphal­i­dae). Eu­ro­pean Jour­nal of En­to­mol­ogy, 109/1: 85-94.

Ste­fanescu, C., F. Paramo, S. Akesson, M. Alar­con, A. Avila, T. Br­ere­ton, J. Car­nicer, L. Cas­sar, R. Fox, J. He­li­ola, J. Hill, N. Hirneisen, N. Kjellen, E. Kuhn, M. Ku­us­saari, M. Le­sk­i­nen, F. Liechti, M. Musche, E. Regan, D. Reynolds, D. Roy, N. Ryrholm, H. Schmaljo­hann, J. Set­tele, C. Thomas, C. van Swaay, J. Chap­man. 2013. Multi-gen­er­a­tional long-dis­tance mi­gra­tion of in­sects: study­ing the painted lady but­ter­fly in the West­ern Palaearc­tic. Ecog­ra­phy, 36/4: 474-486.