NPSpecies

The name Painted Lady was inspired by prostitutes of Victorian times, who painted their cheeks with rouge and their lips with bright lipstick. The undersides of the Painted Lady's wings have bright pink spots that reminded people of these ladies. It has a near global distribution, and its larvae have less discriminating taste for host plants. In the American Southwest, following El Nino winters, V. cardui becomes impressively abundant, causing mass-migration. It is disputed if V. cardui are using similar cues as D. plexippus, since V. cardui migrations seem hitched to environmental causes rather than D. plexippus seemingly predestined sequence in life-cycle/migration. V. cardui is found found throughout Grand Canyon in spring, summer, and fall. In the warmer deserts, a few winter butterflies are seen.