Painted Lady Butterfly
Cape May NJ
2008

The orange and black Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) is one of the most common butterfly species in the world.
Unlike many butterflies, it does not become dormant during the winter and cannot survive heavy frosts or colder conditions. Therefore it migrates to warmer climates in winter.
Its size is in the 2.0" - 2.5" range.

Vanessa cardui is the most widespread of all butterfly species. It is commonly called the painted lady, or formerly in North America the cosmopolitan.


Butterflies are insects that have large, often brightly coloured wings, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group comprises the superfamilies Hedyloidea and Papilionoidea. Butterfly fossils date to the Paleocene, about 56 million years ago.

Due to their bright colors and visits to flowers, butterflies are the most familiar of insects to humans. There are about 17,500 species of butterflies in the world, and around 750 species in the United States.

https://www.si.edu/spotlight/buginfo/butterfly

https://butterflywebsite.com/