The Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) is said to be the most widespread butterfly in the world – found in both North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa – in both temperate and tropical environments. Butterflies and Moths of North America. This is a guest post from wife, Olivia, who shot these photos in Maine last summer.
This Painted Lady is feeding on a sunflower, but prefers thistles and hollyhocks.
In the Eastern US, one can expect one to three flights from May to October….although in Maine one more likely will find snowflakes anytime after Labor Day!!!
If you visit Maine in the summer, be sure to carry one of these in your pocket – handy and waterproof.
Here’s a link to a great site with a time-lapse video of a developing Painted Lady
Steven Scott
Steven Scott is a photonaturalist blogger based in Florida and Maine. He has surveyed butterflies with Earthwatch Institute in the mountains of Vietnam, tagged juvenile snook with Mote Marine Laboratory in the mangroves of Florida and filmed a BioBlitz insect survey in Acadia National Park. A registered nurse and retired Army officer, Steven believes man is an integral part of nature and travels annually to Vietnam with humanitarian medical teams from Vets With a Mission.
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