Painted Lady Butterfly factsUpdated 9 months ago
- The scientific name of the Painted lady Butterfly is Vanessa Cardui.
- A group of butterflies is called a "swarm," "rabble," "kaleidoscope," or "flutter of butterflies."
- Painted Lady Butterflies are found almost everywhere! They are native to Europe, Canada, the United States, Asia, Africa and even Iceland!
- The Painted Lady Butterfly is nicknamed the "Thistle Butterfly" because it is partial to the nectar of thistles.
- It may look like your butterfly only has four legs, but it really has six! The last set of your butterfly’s legs is tucked up high on the thorax and is very easily overlooked.
- The undersides of your Painted Lady Butterfly wings are “marble-coloured”, which provides the butterflies with a natural camouflage from predators. When the butterflies open their wings, they exhibit the gorgeous orange, brown and black colours the Painted Lady is known for. These bright colours are also a warning to predators.
- Because of their egg mass, females have a larger, more rounded abdomen than males. Look at your butterflies from above. The male butterfly’s abdomen has straight sides, while the female’s abdomen is curved.
- During the winter, Painted Ladies migrate to warmer climates. They will travel all the way to Morocco over several generations to spend the winter in the sun and then make their way back to the UK in the Spring!
- Butterflies are insects! Like all insects, a butterfly has three body parts: head, thorax and abdomen, three pairs of jointed legs, one pair of antennae and an exoskeleton.