In a recent birding trip to Yuma, it was noted that the group ran into migrations of butterflies – mostly the Painted Lady (sometimes known as the Thistle Butterfly). I thought this would be a good “Item of the Month”. Did you know that the Painted Lady is the most widespread butterfly in the world? They migrate in large numbers – northward from March through November and southward year-round. Here in the US, there are mass migrations coming up from Mexico. Painted Ladies are found on all continents except Australia and Antarctica.

Description: They are 1 ¾ - 2 ½ inches in size. The upper surface of its wings is mostly black, brown and orange. There are also some white spots and red and blue markings. The underside of the wings is gray with white and red markings.

Habitat: Just about anyplace – deserts, mountains, grasslands and of course, gardens.

Food Plants: The plants they visit are varied but include the aster family, mallow family, sunflower family and their main one, the thistle family.

Life Cycle: Adult butterflies lay their eggs on plants and the eggs are the size of pinheads. They hatch in a few days and the larva or caterpillar comes out and starts munching food. Each caterpillar changes skin four times before it’s fully grown. After three weeks it’s almost 2 inches long and fully grown. At this time, it goes into the chrysalis stage and metamorphosis begins. After two weeks, the butterfly emerges. It then has a two week life span and its main goal is to reproduce and lay eggs so the cycle can begin again.

Here are a couple of interesting facts: Butterflies are solar-powered as they need the sun to fly. Male Painted Ladies have smaller abdomens than females. Butterflies are active diurnal (active during the day). Painted Lady Butterflies see more patterns, a wider range of color and more shades of green than people do. The tiny scales attached to butterfly wings give them their color. Butterflies have taste sensors on their legs. Butterflies have three pairs of legs – each divided into five parts.