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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Butterflies (excluding skippers) (Papilionoidea) » Brushfooted Butterflies (Nymphalidae) » Crescents, Checkerspots, Anglewings, etc. (Nymphalinae) » Ladies and Red Admirals (Vanessa) » American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis)
Photo#2613
American Lady - Vanessa virginiensis
Copyright © 2003 Cotinis

American Lady - Vanessa virginiensis
Hebron Road just west of Old Oxford Highway, Durham County, North Carolina, USA
September 3, 2003
Taking nectar on Tall Coneflower, Rudbeckia lacinata. I had stopped to photograph the flowers and the butterfly showed up. It was a hot, hazy day, with perfect light for photography. One of my better photos taken with my Coolpix 4500 digicam. Technically, the eyespot-like marks on the wing are called ocelli, not to be confused with simple eyes.

This patch of roadside wildflowers was on an area of basic soil associated with a serpentine ridge, and was recently lost to excavation for utility work and road widening.
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Contributed by Cotinis on 9 March, 2004 - 3:36am
Last updated 20 May, 2007 - 6:41am

Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)
this is a Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) for all of the reasons listed by Ken Slade. since this is a dorsal view, most notable is the lack of a "white dot" in the orange area midway on the distal portion of both of the forewings, and the eyespots of the hindwing are separated, where on Am. Lady they appear to be connected with a smudged appearance.
… carolinensis, 11 November, 2008 - 7:29pm login or register to post comments

Painted Lady
Excellent photo! I believe this butterfly is actually a Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui). It is often confused with the American Lady which has a more squared off forewing tip, the white spot in the red-orange area of the forewing, and the 2 large (rather than 4 medium) eyespots on the ventral hindwing.
… Ken Slade, 30 April, 2008 - 6:17pm login or register to post comments

 
American Lady
Confirmed by photo and description in Butterflies through Binoculars The West.
… Ron Hemberger, 13 May, 2008 - 1:58pm login or register to post comments

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