Things With Wings
UK wildlife photography community at thingswithwings.uk — loading the latest sightings…
Field Guide
🦋
Painted Lady
Vanessa cardui
2 photos
·2 photographers
·Common · 1 ptsLong-distance migrant from North Africa; salmon-orange.
2 community photos of Painted Lady from 2 photographers on Things With Wings. Top-rated shots often use around 1/2028ss shutter, 6.8600001335175875mm.
Species Profile
Not formally listed; numbers fluctuate significantly year to year depending on continental migration patterns.
- Lifespan
- 2–6 weeks in the wild; longer in captivity
- Size & Weight
- Wingspan 32–35 mm
- Habitat
- Open, sunny habitats including gardens, parks, grasslands, and disturbed ground with abundant low-growing plants.
- UK Distribution
- Widespread across England, Wales, and southern Scotland; primarily a summer migrant arriving from continental Europe, though occasional small resident populations may establish in mild years.
- Diet
- Adults feed on nectar from thistles, mallows, teasels, and other wildflowers; caterpillars are polyphagous, feeding on over 300 plant species including nettles, mallows, thistles, and legumes.
- Predators
- Birds, spiders, and parasitic wasps (particularly Tachina flies and ichneumonids).
- Mating Season
- May to October (multiple generations per year during the breeding season).
- Breeding
- Females lay eggs singly on host plants; caterpillars develop in approximately 3–4 weeks; typically 2–3 generations per year in the UK, with migrants potentially contributing additional broods.
- Behaviour
- Highly migratory, with populations undertaking long-distance flights from North Africa and southern Europe. Males are territorial and patrol in a low, rapid flight pattern. Adults are restless, energetic fliers and difficult to observe at rest.
- •One of the most widespread butterfly species globally, found on every continent except Antarctica.
- •Mass migrations occur in spring, with millions of individuals reaching the UK in good years.
- •Caterpillars are solitary and well-camouflaged with warning coloration on some plants.
- •The species is highly variable in appearance, with numerous subspecies and seasonal forms.
- •Adults can complete their life cycle in as little as five weeks under optimal conditions, allowing rapid population build-up.
Community Sightings by Month
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Camera Settings (top photos)
Shutter
1/2028ss
ISO Range
64–400
Aperture
f/f/1.7799999713880652
Focal Length
6.8600001335175875mm
