Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Hot dog–we've got American AND painted ladies!

Oh, my goodness, the more I observe and photograph, the better I learn my butterfly species! I'd decided we had American ladies in our Wildscape. But did we have the similar-looking painted lady? I took some photos and did a little research. The answer to my question?
YES YES YES!
But how do you tell the difference?
It's all about the eyes...
...the eyespots, that is.
 
American lady (Vanessa virginiensis)
Painted lady (Vanessa cardui)
American lady has TWO eyespots.
Painted lady has FOUR eyespots.

3 comments:

Steph@RamblingWren said...

Beautiful pictures! How did you get the butterflies to stay still for the close up? Ha:) Very informative post.

Sheryl Smith-Rodgers said...

It was exciting to figure out that we've got both species! :-)

Anonymous said...

Dear Sheryl,
Hello, fellow Master Naturalist. Thank you for your awesome photos of the "Ladies." That ID help was very useful. Also, Commander Ben is a precocious and talented young man. What a natural teacher.

I enjoy your blog posts & photos. Thanks!

Warmly, Sally
Galveston Bay Area Chapter
Texas Master Naturalists

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