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With a wing span of 4.5 - 6.7 cm, the American Painted Lady is tawny-orange and brown on its upper side, with two large eyespots towards the outer margin of the hind wings. The forewing has a black apical patch, a small white spot in the orange field below the patch, and a white bar at the leading edge.
Open places with sunny, flowery open spots such as meadows, parks, and forest edges are the most common places to find them in the Algonquin Highlands. They have 2 or 3 broods a year, in the summer to fall seasons, laying a yellowish-green, barrel-shaped egg. These are laid singly on the top of host plant leaves. Caterpillars are black with yellow cross bands and white to rusty coloured spots. They make a solitary nest of silk and leaves. The gold-spotted brown chrysalis, about 2.2 cm in length, is formed in the nest and overwinters here.
The adult American Painted Lady feeds on the nectar of Aster, Common Milkweed, Dogbane, Goldenrod, Marigold and Vetch.
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AMERICAN PAINTED LADY
Vanessa virginiensis
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