Painted Lady Butterfly
September 15, 2021
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Painted Lady Butterfly – Vanessa cardui
In my garden now! Not a native species but a well travelled migrant to the UK from North Africa, the Middle East and southern Europe during the Summer. Some years it arrives in enormous numbers. A frequent visitor to gardens, it will feed on Buddleia and other flowers. The caterpillars feed on thistles, mallows and Viper’s-bugloss, as well as various cultivated plants.
This species cannot survive our winter in any form.
Fairly large in size this beautiful orange, black and white butterfly is easy to identify
https://butterfly-conservation.org/butterflies/painted-lady