Vanessa virginiensis
"American Lady"
Formerly called American Painted Lady
Top: Adult
Bottom Left: Larva on Helichrysum petiolare
"Licorice Plant"
Bottom Right: Chrysalis 2 days old
This is a migratory species common in Muskoka in most years. The adults which arrive in late May are the first of three generations over the summer. The larvae feed on many species of plants in the Asteraceae family but they prefer Everlastings and Cudweeds. Licorice Plant looks similar to these, is in the Asteraceae family, but is not native to North America. It is widely used as a filler plant in hanging baskets and planters. In this instance several larvae decimated the Licorice Plant in a planter.
Photos by A. Sinclair
Top: scanned from a slide dated July,1979
Bottom left and right: digital camera images July 1998
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