The Vanessa cardui butterfly, commonly known as the painted lady butterfly, travels to the uk in the summer from North Africa/Mediterranean and Asia.
The Vanessa cardui caterpillars feed on over 300 plants, however, they mainly feed on the Asteraceae species of plants.
The life span of a Vanessa cardui is 12 months from egg to death. Their life starts as an egg which hatches into a caterpillar, the caterpillar eats and lives on live leaves until it is ready to begin metamorphosis inside a chrysalis. After 5-7 days a butterfly emerges from the chrysalis and usually lives for 10-24 days until death.
The lifespan of Vanessa cardui is short, averaging about a year from egg to death. In laboratory conditions, adults live for about 10 to 24 days after pupation. (Stefanescu, et al., 2013)
The lifespan of Vanessa cardui is short, averaging about a year from egg to death. In laboratory conditions, adults live for about 10 to 24 days after pupation. (Stefanescu, et al., 2013)
The lifespan of Vanessa cardui is short, averaging about a year from egg to death. In laboratory conditions, adults live for about 10 to 24 days after pupation. (Stefanescu, et al., 2013)
