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Photography with cameras
Nikon D3x, Nikon D300, Canon 50D
Image editing with Photoshop | |
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|  | | Painted lady - Vanessa cardui | |
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| | Painted lady | | The painted lady [Vanessa cardui - more precisely Vanessa (Cynthia) cardui – synonym Papilio cardui], also known as the cosmopolitan butterfly, belongs to the subgenus Vanessa (Cynthia), in the order butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera) - unranked: Rhopalocera – suborder Glossata, infraorder Heteroneura (division : Ditrysia), superfamily Papilionoidea, family brush-footed butterflies (Nymphalidae) - also known as four-footed butterflies, subfamily Nymphalinae, tribe Nymphalini), and the genus Vanessa. | | |
|  | | Nymphalidae - Vanessa cardui | |
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| | | The painted lady is found on the subtropical plains. This species is common and is encountered in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. In Europe, the painted lady is a permanent resident in the Mediterranean region only. | | |
|  | | Painted lady - Top view | |
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| | Adult Vanessa cardui reach wing spans of 45-60 mm. Their forewings have black tips with white spots which bear a certain resemblance to the wing tips of the red admiral (Vanessa atalanta). The base of the forewings is yellowish brown. The inner area of the wing is orange with black patches. The pattern on the forewings’ underside is a distinctly paler version of that on the upper surface. On the upper edge (of the forewings’ upper surface) there are 2 large bright spots. The black area on the wing tips can be interspersed or mottled with brown or shades from orange to red. | | |
|  | | Butterfly - Painted lady | |
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| | The hind wings of the painted lady also have a yellowish-brown base. Their colouration is similar to that of the forewing. However the spots on the outer edge are black in colour. The remaining spots are much fainter. The underside of the hind wings has a white base colour and is mottled with various shades of brown. On the outer edge, there are 5 eye-spots of differing sizes. A special characteristic of the painted lady is its screw-shaped flight pattern. | | |
| | Painted lady butterflies are migratory. In the spring (sometimes at the end of summer or in early autumn), the butterflies leave the warm climes where they originate and migrate to the temperate regions south of the Arctic Circle, where they remain until at least early November. In Europe, painted ladies fly in from May to July. | | |
| | In their areas of origin, they produce one new generation after another (they don’t go into diapause), however, in the more northern regions (depending on climatic conditions), they reproduce only once or twice. The adult butterflies of the first new generation appear in July/August, the second generation in September / October. Butterflies of both new generations make their way south in autumn. Many do not make it across the Alpine border and die on the glaciers. In other cases (such as in the British Isles) painted ladies die before their return flight starts. | | |
| | Painted ladies prefer warm and dry habitats. They are often found in large numbers in areas with a lot of thistles. They feed on nectar, which they suck from the flowers of the thistle (Cirsium) or other flowering plants like butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii). After mating, the fertilized females seek out the food plants of the larvae where they lay their eggs on the upperside of the leaves. The eggs are shaped like a cone, grooved, and greenish-grey in colour. They remain on the leaves for 3 to 5 days before the larvae hatch. When the larvae (caterpillars) have hatched, they build a tissue on the leaf, which initially covers the tip and then the whole leaf, under which they can eat undisturbed. The web, however (as in the case of thistles) between leaf growth and stem can be mounted. | | |
| | Painted lady caterpillars reach lengths of 35-40 mm. Their bodies have a light yellow to greenish-brown base colour. On the surface, a fine, dark pattern can be discerned, which varies in form. The caterpillars have a shape like a ring and branching spines on each segment of their bodies. The rings lie between the spines and are (like the entire back) usually more yellowish, while the base of the spines is more reddish. Other caterpillars of the same species are much brighter, with a high proportion of white. | | |
| | Painted lady caterpillars feed on a variety of different plant families, above all,mallow (Malvaceae), Compositae (Asteraceae), Cucurbits (Cucurbitaceae), legume (Fabaceae), wine grape (Vitaceae), borage (Boraginaceae) and cabbage (Brassicaceae). They particularly like the ordinary thistle (Cirsium vulgare), cabbage thistle (Cirsium oleraceum), Carduus thistles (Carduus sp.) and other plants from the thistle family. Painted lady caterpillars are also found on musk mallow (Malva moschata) and nettle (Urtica dioica). | | |
| | The caterpillars of the first new generation appear in June/July, those of the second generation appear in August/September. After 7-11 days the caterpillars are fully developed and pupate. The pupa is about 25 mm long, grey-brown to greenish-grey in colour and hangs upside down. The pupa remains in this position for approximately another 7-11 days until the new adult painted lady butterfly hatches. | | |
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| | Description of images / photos
Photography with Cameras
Nikon D3x, Nikon D300, Canon 50D
Image editing with Photoshop | | 1. | Painted lady - Vanessa cardui | | 2. | Nymphalidae - Vanessa cardui | | 3. | Painted lady - Top view | | 4. | Butterfly - Painted lady |
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