Today we’re treated to some lepidopteran photos taken by Mary Rasmussen. Her text and IDs are indented, and you can enlarge the photos by clicking on them.
American Lady and Painted Lady butterflies
Every spring American Lady butterflies (Vanessa virginiensis) are a welcome sight in my small Upper Peninsula garden. They are migratory butterflies found throughout North America:
They have a wingspan of 1.75 to 2.5 inches. Adults spend the winter in the southern U.S. and re-populate the northern areas each spring:
The butterflies lay their tiny eggs on the native Western Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea) plants, both in my garden and growing wild along the road:
The female butterfly lays the eggs on the cottony leaves of the Pearly Everlasting plant. Close-up of eggs with one near hatching:
American Lady caterpillar eating a Pearly Everlasting plant:
The caterpillar forms a chrysalis and its color will depend on the surrounding vegetation. On the left the chrysalis was hidden in a very green spot and on the right is a chrysalis made among dry and brown vegetation:
Newly emerged butterfly drying its wings before taking flight:
The recently emerged American Lady sips nectar. Notice the two eyespots on the hind-wing. This is an identifying feature that distinguishes this butterfly from its relative and look-alike, the Painted Lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui):
Here is a Painted Lady butterfly showing its four eyespots on the hind-wing. We have both types of butterflies in our area, and I have trouble distinguishing between them. Often taking a photo to check helps:
The American Lady also has a small white dot in the orange Patch (postmedian area) of the forewing. BugGuide has a great comparison chart:
These Painted Ladies are migrating south in late summer. You can see they lack the white dot on their forewings.
In the Eastern Hemisphere, Painted Ladies undertake a migration that is longer than the Monarch’s, flying from Sub-Saharan Africa to the Arctic regions of Europe.
I use a Nikon D500 camera with Nikon VR 105mm f/2.8G macro lens. For the butterfly egg I used a Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5X Ultra Macro lens with extension tubes.
Thank you for the inspiring photos and, as a fellow photography geek, thank you for documenting the gear you used.
Great stuff! I think I pretty much always see Painted Ladies in my area, and not the related species.
Did folks see the jumping spider photo bomb?
I did!
Cool pictures! I thank you for posting them.
Nice!
Lovely! Thank you for sharing with us.
Great sequence. The colors of the caterpillar indicate it may be toxic? I don’t know if the plant is, and I think that’s where most caterpillars acquire their toxins.
It astounds me that something so small and delicate can make such a long migration. I wonder if there is any estimate of how many don’t manage to arrive at their destination.
I wonder how long that common name will last?
This is really nice work! I am going to pay more attention this Spring, think all that I see I have been assuming to be Painted Ladies. Thanks!
Gorgeous, elegant – this is a great result from modern technology – very clear details of subjects usually obscured – unless someone has keen perception!
Those are exceptionally perfect photos, very beautiful and with just the right lighting and color balance.