138090 Painted Lady Vanessa cardui Wingspan 60mm. A beautifully patterned butterfly. Adult upperwings are pinkish-buff, with white and black markings. Underwings are buffish, marked with a similar pattern to the upperwings. Larva is spiny and hairy, brown with yellow and red markings; feeds on thistles, usually concealed within ‘tent’ of woven-together leaves. A migrant from southern Europe, from late spring to autumn, mostly near coasts; numbers vary from year to year. Sometimes breeds but does not survive the winter.
