American Lady
Vanessa virginiensis
Photo by Richard Alexander
Summary
Like its relative the painted lady, the American lady is an orange and black butterfly with white spots and webbing. It is most easily distinguished by its two large (not 4 small) eyespots on the underside of the hindwing. Arriving from the sunny South in spring, it recolonizes our are with several broods each season. The larvae construct a silken tent among the leaves of their host plants, which include pearly everlasting and pussytoes. Adult males are quite territorial, often patrolling hilltops or perching atop tall plants in their search for their ‘lady love’.
More Details
FAMILY
Nymphalidae (Brushfoots)
IDENTIFICATION
Average wingspan 2 inches. When wings are open this butterfly shows one white dot floating inside a square orange patch on each of the top wings.
HABITAT
Open areas like meadows, parks, gardens, roadsides, and forest edges.
LIFE CYCLE
Female lay their eggs singly. Caterpillar makes a silky tent inside the leaves of their host plant, living in and feeding on them. Pupa resembles a dead, dried-up leaf. Overwinters as an adult south of Mason-Dixon line-spring migrants annually repopulate the state.
HOST PLANTS
Several hosts, primarily pearly everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea) and field pussytoes (Antennaria neglecta)
Ecosystem Connections
The caterpillars are herbivores that graze on vegetation, and adults serve a role in pollination. All life stages provide food for predators. Additionally, because butterflies are so sensitive to toxins and disturbance, they are good indicators of the overall health of ecosystems.
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