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Project Noah Nature School
Vanessa virginiensis
Upperside with uneven brown, yellow, and orange pattern. Forewing with a black apical patch, a small white spot in the orange field below the patch, and a white bar at the leading edge of the forewing. Underside of hindwing with two large eyespots. Wing Span: 1 3/4 - 2 5/8 inches (4.5 - 6.7 cm).
Resident in the southern United States, Mexico, and Central America south to Colombia. Migrates to and temporarily colonizes the northern United States, southern Canada, the West Indies, and Europe. Rare stray to Newfoundland and Labrador.Open places with low vegetation including dunes, meadows, parks, vacant lots, forest edges. This one was feeding on butterfly weed at the Visitor's Center at the Silver Bluff Audubon Center near Jackson, SC.
During the afternoon, males perch on hilltops or on low vegetation if there are no hills. Females lay eggs singly on the top of host plant leaves. Caterpillars are solitary, living and feeding in a nest of leaves tied with silk. Adults hibernate. Adults feed on flower nectar almost exclusively, including dogbane, aster, goldenrod, marigold, selfheal, common milkweed, and vetch.
Spotted on May 25, 2012
Submitted on Feb 18, 2013
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