The Painted Lady is the world's most widely distributed butterfly, found on every continent except Antarctica and Australia. Its salmon-orange wings have intricate black, white, and brown markings and a row of small eyespots on the hindwing underside. In irruption years it can appear in enormous numbers across North America, undertaking multi-generational migrations spanning thousands of miles.
Best time to see a Painted Lady
The best time to see a Painted Lady is April–September, when about 65% of U.S. sightings happen, based on 78,991 research-grade iNaturalist observations.
Not certain it is a Painted Lady? What bug is this? walks through what to check first and the lookalikes that catch people out.
Recent Painted Lady sightings near you
Live, research-grade observations from iNaturalist. Allow location to center the map on you.
Spotted a Painted Lady?
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