American Lady Butterfly

American Lady Butterfly Coloration, Characteristics and Size

The orange and black American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis) is a popular butterfly across many landscapes. White spots are located on the tips of the forewing. The female lays pale yellow-green eggs.

Its size ranges from 1.75" - 2.75".

Distribution and Habitat

The American Lady prefers open areas with low vegetation, weedy fields, and woodland clearings. Unable to survive cold winters, adults overwinter in warm southern regions.

It ranges across most of the United States except for the northwest.

American Lady Butterfly Identification

The American Lady has two large eyespots on the hindwing below, whereas the Painted Lady has four eyespots. Need a way to remember this fact? "American" has four syllables, while "Painted" has two ... but the number of spots is opposite those numbers!

On the forewing, the American Lady features a white dot on an orange spot, not seen on the Painted Lady.

Nectar and Host Plants Used by the American Lady

Host plants include plants in the sunflower family, asters, pussytoes, everlasting, evax, ironweed, cudweed.

The American Lady feeds on nectar from a variety of flowers, and also on tree sap and decaying fruit.

American Lady Butterfly Life Cycle Stages and Times

Stage	Typical Duration
Egg stage	4 to 14 days
Caterpillar (larval) stage	2 to 4 weeks
Chrysalis (pupal) stage	7 to 14 days
Adult butterfly stage	6 to 20 days

 

American Lady Butterfly

 

 

Photos of American Lady Butterflies

American Lady butterfly, a bit tattered and worn, enjoying white flower blooms

American Lady on a pink Zinnia

American Lady on a white Zinnia

The beautiful American Lady Butterfly

American Lady

American Lady

American Lady (ventral view)

Popular Butterfly Books at our Amazon Store
Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of North America	Peterson First Guide to Butterflies and Moths of North America
The Life Cycles of Butterflies	Stoke's Beginner's Guide to Butterflies
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American Lady Caterpillar