Latin name - Vanessa cardui

Flight period - May to October

Wingspan 5.8 to 7.4 cm, 2.3 to 2.9 inch.

A fairly large butterfly, the Painted Lady is a migrant to the UK from North Africa, the Middle East and southern Europe during the summer. It has orange-brown wings with black and white spots on the forewing; the undersides are mottled brown with spots. The Painted Lady is a powerful flyer and migrates great distances. In Britain, although the species breeds, it is unable to survive our winters and does not hibernate in Britain.