A delight to see a Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) on Pineapple Sage (Salvia elegans). A butterfly with a wingspan of 2 to 3 inches, that like many butterflies, lives only for 2 to 4 weeks as an adult. During their short life the butterfly consumes the nectar of plants that are 3 to 6 feet high, such as Asters, Cosmos, Ironweed, Joe Pye Weed, Sunflowers, and of course, Pineapple Sage.
The Painted Lady can be found on every continent except Antarctica and Australia. Their long distance migration makes them the most widely distributed butterfly species. Those migrations are irruptive. Not necessarily depending upon weather or geography, but some think depending in part on such things as changing climate patterns and also perhaps triggered by population issues.
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