Painted Lady

About the Painted Lady

The Painted Lady may be the most widespread butterfly in the world, found across North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. It is orange and black above with white spots near the forewing tips, and gray and brown below with a row of small eyespots.

It is a champion migrant. In some years huge numbers move north out of the deserts of Mexico, and research has shown that the species makes a round trip of thousands of miles across several generations. It does not survive cold winters, so every northern population starts over each spring.

This one was nectaring on blazing star in The Bowl, high in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, on August 27, 2023.