Painted Lady

And do you know WHY this is called a Painted Lady butterfly? Well, I looked it up! And now I'll share with you in case you also were not enlightened on this common little butterfly. I was excited to see another butterfly on the zinnias today. I think their names dictated why they became known as the Painted Lady. Of course, a few more shots of this one can be seen here. And no idea if the male Painted Lady butterflies are good with that name.

This Cynthia group of colorful butterflies, commoly called painted ladies, comprises a subgenus of the genus Vanessa in the Family nymphalidae.

This is (I believe) Vanessa cardui, which is almost global in its distribution. Then there is the Australian version, Vanessa kershawi, and American Painted Lady, Vanessa virginiensis and West Coast Lady, Vanessa annabella. They live 2 to 4 weeks, and as you can see, this one has lost some of it's wings.

So I guess, according to this, there are three different Painted Ladies in N. America, but this one looks closest to Vanessa cardui.

Okay, Entomology lesson over with kids.

A beautiful day in the neighborhood today. Hardly a cloud in the sky and glorious warm temperatures. Bill went golfing today. He goes with my cousin's girlfriend/wife/partner when they come up from Eureka to see my aunt and to go shopping. They like to help with the local economy.

I better go. I'll see you all later. Thank you for dropping by.