American Lady or Painted Lady? BugGuide has an excellent photo guide to help distinguish between these similar Vanessa butterflies!
American lady (Vanessa virginiensis)
This is the American lady butterfly with its wings closed. I always think of stained glass windows when I see it.
Here’s more information on how I raise American ladies…
HOST PLANTS: Everlasting, pussytoes, and related composites
- Learn more:
- Butterflies and Moths of North America: American lady info
- Univ. of Florida: Featured creatures
Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)
HOST PLANTS: Thistles; plants in the Mallow family
Preferred nectar plants: Plants in the aster family 3-6 feet high
Great spangled fritillary (Speyeria cybele)
A great spangled fritillary enjoying a joe-pye flower. (At least I think it’s a great spangled—could it be a meadow fritillary?)
HOST PLANTS: Violets
More great spangled fritillary info at Butterflies and Moths of North America
Baltimore checkerspot (Euphydryas phaeton)
After seeing this Baltimore checkerspot butterfly, I learned that white turtlehead (Chelone glabra) is its larval host plant for its caterpillars when they’re small. Maybe that’s why it visited our yard. I have Chelone glabra as well as other chelones, though only C. glabra is its host plant. After the caterpillars grow a bit, they also can eat penstemon etc.
The Maryland DNR (see below) info about Baltimore Checkerspots is on the Rare, Threatened, and Endangered page. Why might they be endangered? They overwinter as caterpillars in leaf litter — you know, that stuff homeowners rake up and put out to the curb each fall and spring …
HOST PLANTS: Chelone glabra (white turtlehead) and others such as penstemon when they re-emerge as larger caterpillars in the spring.
- More Baltimore checkerspot info at Butterflies and Moths of North America
- More info on Baltimore checkspot from the Maryland DNR, including the info on its larval host plants.
Pearl crescent (Phyciodes tharos)
This is a pearl crescent butterfly. Its host plant is aster, which we have in abundance. Actually, I’m surprised that I don’t see this cute little butterfly more often.
HOST PLANTS: Asters
More pearl crescent info at Butterflies and Moths of North America
Northern crescent (Phyciodes cocyta)
This is very similar to a pearl crescent butterfly, but the expert at BugGuide.net thought it could be a Northern crescent.
HOST PLANTS: Asters
More northern crescent info at Butterflies and Moths of North America