Painted Lady
(Vanessa cardui)

Look hard and you can see the outline of a butterfly in the center of the photo. This species is a migrant and its abundance in the garden is variable and probably depends on conditions in the southern part of its range. This species migrates up from Mexico and in years when conditions are favorable a large number of adults will reach Ohio. Here they are capable of laying eggs, but they cannot survive the cold Ohio winters. In years when this species is common, it is most apt to be seen from late July through September. When resting with folded wings on a rock or bark surface the Painted Lady is camouflaged and difficult for predators to see, but when on a flower it is easy to spot.

The Painted Lady has four or five smaller eyespots on the ventral hindwing. It closely resembles the American Painted Lady which has only two large eyespots on the ventral hindwing. From the dorsal view the two species are similar, but the Painted Lady has a ring of connected black shapes that look like the outline of an eye