Closer Look At An American Painted Lady

September 6, 2026

Like many butterflies, the closer one looks the more details are revealed. This is the same species of butterfly that I posted yesterday, an American Painted Lady (Vanessa virginiensis), in a dorsal, or wings open, or upper side view.

This a ventral, or wings up, or under side view. Quite a change from the dorsal view. This view provides eye spots to startle predators.

And here again the dorsal view, with sunlight shining through. Sunlight can change the look of everything when looking at a butterfly.

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Brenda Clements Jones

Brenda is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, a Habitat Defender for Shenandoah National Park, and a devoted fan of Mother Nature. She lives in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, and hikes up to the higher elevations of her mountain often to see what nature is up to. Her constant hiking companion is a camera that captures nature as it unfolds through the seasons. It’s her goal to share the natural world around her through her photographs.

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