Correctly identifying butterflies can be difficult even for those with years of experience. The U.S. is blessed with three varieties of “Lady” butterflies, each beloved and beautiful, but often misidentified. Commonly, all three are often called “Painted Ladies”. However, there are actually three different species in the Vanessa genus: Painted Ladies (Vanessa cardui), American Ladies (Vanessa virginiensis), and West Coast Ladies (Vanessa Annabella).

Red Admirals, Vanessa atalanta, are in the same genus, but look very different from the Ladies.

A Red Admiral, Vanessa atalanta

This year has seen large numbers of migrating Painted Ladies; my gardens seem to have had one on every bloom this month. In fact, a weather radar in Colorado picked up a massive, 70-mile-wide cloud of Painted Ladies in the Rocky Mountains earlier in October. (Weather radars often pick up migrating flocks of birds in spring and fall. This is the first time I’ve read about one picking up butterflies.)

I also get American Ladies in my gardens, especially in early spring. In the American West, a third species of Lady, the West Coast Lady, may be seen. It’s difficult to tell the difference between these species since their ranges overlap. I thought I’d pass on a few quick tips for differentiating them, as well as a few interesting facts about each.

Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)

Painted Ladies are very common. They are one of the most widely spread butterflies in the world. You can find them in North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. They have a wide variety of caterpillar hosts including mallows, hollyhocks, and various legumes. Thistles seem to be a favorite. I have seen them on almost all of the nectar flowers in my garden. Therefore, they aren’t particularly picky about what they eat. In North America, Painted Ladies migrate north from Mexico, temporarily colonizing areas as far north as southern Canada.

The easiest way I’ve found to differentiate Painted Ladies from American Ladies is the four colorful spots on the underside hindwing. American Ladies only have two. Painted Ladies also have more dark markings on the upper side of their hindwings.

Both species have multiple spots on the underside hindwing. Painted Ladies have a white bar on the upper side forewing that is orange on West Coast Ladies.

Painted Ladies have four, well-defined spots on the underside hindwing.

 On top, they have a white bar near the front of the forewing, and black markings on the hindwing.

American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis)

American Ladies, as their name implies, are limited in their range to North, Central, and northern South America. According the Butterflies and Moths of North America website, American Lady host plants include the following: “Plants in the sunflower family everlasting (Gnaphalium obtusifolium), pearly everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea), plantain-leaved pussy toes (Antennaria plantaginifolia), wormwood (Artemisia), ironweed (Vernonia), and burdock (Arctium).” Like their Painted Lady relatives, American Ladies don’t seem to be fussy feeders, but I can count on seeing several on my flowering Chinese privet every spring.

The easiest way to differentiate American Ladies from both Painted Ladies and West Coast Ladies is the two large spots on the underside hind wing. The upper side hindwing has fewer black markings on it, as well. So they appear, at a glance, to have more orange on top.

American Ladies have two spots on the underside hindwing.

On top, they appear to be more orange because they have fewer black markings on the the hindwing.

West Coast Lady (Vanessa Annabella)

Living east of the Rocky Mountains, I have never seen a West Coast Lady in my yard. Although, they occasionally stray as far east as the western plains. Caterpillar hosts are mallows and hollyhocks.

Looking at pictures, I would have a hard time telling the difference between a Painted Lady and a West Coast Lady at a glance. Perhaps the quickest way is to note the orange bar at the top of the forewing. In the Painted Lady, this bar is white.