RSS Feed
The Lady Butterflies: Who They Are and How You Can Attract Them
Want to know how to attract a Painted Lady butterfly? Or know what its sister species look like?
The Painted Lady is common in the U.S, while its sister species have narrower ranges.
Painted Lady
Where It Lives
Painted Lady
Vanessa cardui is perhaps the most common butterfly you'll see. It is widespread over the U.S. and is not picky about habitat or food.
How to Attract
For the Painted Lady, try Rudbeckia, aster, cosmos, joe-pye weed, blazing star, and milkweed.
To attract caterpillars, try hollyhock, mallow, thistles, and legumes.
American Painted Lady
How to Attract
American Painted Lady
The American Painted Lady favors asters, marigolds, milkweed, goldenrod, Rudbeckia, and dogbane.
For caterpillars, grow flowers such as Artemisia, Gnaphalium obtusifolium, Anaphalis margaritacea, pussy toes (Antennaria plantaginifolia), and burdock.
'Baby Gold' Goldenrod Perennial
Where It Lives
You can find Vanessa virginiensis across the U.S. and parts of Central America, but less frequent in Canada.
West Coast Lady
West Coast Painted Lady
How to Attract
You can attract Vanessa annabella with a wide variety of flowers, including rosemary and the lily of the valley vine.
Caterpillars favor of nettle, mallow and hollyhock.
Where It Lives
Typically, you can find West Coast Lady butterflies from the western edge of the Great Plains to the West Coast. The species likes open areas such as gardens, fields, and roadsides.
Red Admiral on Aster
Red Admiral
How to Attract
You can attract the Vanessa atalanta with fermenting fruit on a fruit feeder. In cases where the butterfly can't find fruit, tree sap, or bird droppings, it will feed on asters, milkweed, and other flowers.
However, you will find it difficult to attract Red Admiral caterpillars without nettles or hops nearby.
Where It Lives
The Red Admiral's range covers most of North America, including Guatemala, Hawaii, the Caribbean, and Canada. Although the butterfly likes woods, yards, and parks, you can find it in most habitats during migration.
Kamehameha Lady
Vanessa tameneamea is in the Painted Lady genus but is native only to Hawaii.
