1. DISTRIBUTION

The Painted lady (Vanessa cardui) is a common migrant that visits the Netherlands every yaer in alternating numbers ^[2].

2. BEHAVIOUR

2.1. ACTIVITY

The adults are acive from April to October ^[2]. Larvae can be found from May to Ocotber ^[2] but the late larvae will cannot overwinter and will die.

2.2. DEVELOPMENT

The larva develops in a spun webby nest with an exception for the last instar that roams freely on the plant.

I reared the species inside the house from the third instar on. The development took nineteen days with a short pupal stage of nine days.

2.3.HOST PLANTS

The primary host plants of the species are ^[2]

Cirsium arvense
Cirsium vulgare
Urtica dioica

Besides those the larvae have also been observed on the following plants ^[3]

Achillea millefolium
Artemisia vulgaris
Arctium minus
Borago officinalis
Carduus crispus
Carduus nutans
Cirsium palustre
Echinops exaltatus
Echium vulgare
Symphytum officinale
Malva sylvestris
Onopordum acanthium agg.
Pulicaria dysenterica

In the garden the larvae has been observed on the following host plants:

Common mallow (Malva sylvestris)

2.5. IDENTIFICATION

EGGS

The eggs are yellow-green with white longitudinal ribs.

Painted lady (Vanessa cardui), egg on Common mallow (Malva sylvestris)

INSTARS

The species has five instars, i.e. molts four times, befor the prepupal and pupal phases.

Prolegs

All instars have five pairs of prolegs.

Propoten rups — Number of prolegs of the larvae

Crochets

The crochets of V. cardui larvae, at least for the fifth instar, are arranged in two transverse bands of one row (uniordinal) ^[6].

Crochets uniordinal in two transverse rows

1^st INSTAR

The first instar has a green-grey color with relatively long black hairs on flat black warts, and a black head.

2^nd INSTAR

The second instar looks similar to the first but bigger and with a few pale yellow spots dorsally.

(no photos)

3^rd INSTAR

The thirs instar is black with thorn-like warts on each segment. Either all warts on a segment are pale yellow, or the middle one is pale yellow and the rest black.

The warts have sturdy black hairs.

Painted lady (Vanessa cardui), 3rd instar on Common mallow (Malva sylvestris)

4^th INSTAR

The fourth instar at first looks similar to the third but larger. During it’s development the warts become whiter in colour with an orange base (limited to the dorsal warts). Furthermore the hairs become whiter in colour. It’s body becomes covered in light-yellow specks with clear yellow stripes dorsally and ventrally.