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painted lady |
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Vanessa cardui |
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| Taxonomy | Order: |
Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) |
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Suborder: |
Glossata |
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Infraorder: |
Neolepidoptera |
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Parvorder: |
Heteroneura |
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No Rank: |
Ditrysia |
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No Rank: |
Obtectomera |
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Superfamily: |
Papilionoidea (butterflies [excluding skippers]) |
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Family: |
Nymphalidae |
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Subfamily: |
Nymphalinae (true brushfoots) |
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Tribe: |
Nymphalini |
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Genus: |
Vanessa |
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Subgenus: |
Cynthia (painted ladies) |
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| Status |
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| Flight/Season | One to three flights from May to September |
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| Habitat | Open areas |
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| Size |
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| Identification |
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| Similar Species |
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| Larval Hosts | More than 100 species, including thistle (Cirsium), legumes (Fabaceae), mallow (Malvaceae), and hollyhock (Alcea). |
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| Adult Food | Thistle (Cirsium), aster (Symphyotrichum), blazing star (Liatris), ironweed (Vernonia), Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium), red clover (Trifolium pratense), buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis), and milkweed (Asclepias). |
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| Life Cycle |
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| Behavior |
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| Range |  |
Sources: 7, 20, 21. | |||||
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| Comments |
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| Images | |||||||
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| Synonyms |
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| Common Names |
painted lady |
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