Painted lady is the name of a widely distributed group of butterflies, so named because of their attractive wing patterns. The wings are about 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7.6 centimeters) across when open and have marbled markings. The underwings are pink, buff, and brown, and the upper wings are mainly orange-brown. Painted lady butterflies often settle on bare ground and bask in the sun with their wings wide open. They can be found on every continent, except Antarctica.
Painted lady butterflies, as a group, are known for their long migrations. They have a rapid, powerful flight. Each spring, one species (kind) migrates from North Africa to Europe across the Mediterranean Sea. Some of the butterflies migrate back to Africa in late summer, but most die in Europe during the winter.
The female painted lady lays small pale green eggs singly on the upperside of the leaves of plants such as thistles, nettles, and burdock. The larva, or caterpillar, of the American painted lady feeds on plants such as everlasting flower and cottonweed. The larva has a dark head, and a yellowish-green body mottled with black, with a yellow stripe on each side. The caterpillar spins a layer of silk that protects it while feeding.
