West Coast Lady – Vanessa Annabella

West Coast Lady – Vanessa Annabella Scientific Name: Vanessa Annabella Common Name: West Coast Lady Distribution: Western North America stretches east and south to Montana, Colorado, New Mexico, and Mexico, and from southern British Columbia to Baja California Norte. strays to southern Ontario, eastern North Dakota, and central Kansas. Host plants: Herbaceous marsh plants, such as Cheeseweed (Malva), Alkali Mallow (Malvella), and Hollyhock (Alcea), serve as hosts; Velvet Leaf (Abutilon theophrasti) is not known to occur nearby. Urticaceae are also used by the species. A few broods, during the duration of the season at any one place. Identification: Vanessa annabella is an excellent butterfly to attract and raise in a suburban garden. This species is also thought to be a subspecies of the South American Vanessa carye, and it is commonly misspelled as “anabella.” Apart from normal variations in distribution, V. annabella may be identified as the other two North American painted ladies by the following characteristics: The most notable feature missing from it is the apparent ventral eyespots on the hindwings; V. virginiensis has two huge eyespots, whereas V. cardui has four little eyespots. Similar to the latter, it does not have a white dot in the subapical area of the ventral and dorsal forewings that is pinkish-orange. Among the three, its upperwing hue is the purest orange; the American painted lady is typically somewhat reddish. The row of black eyespots on the dorsal submarginal hindwing is a less accurate indication. In V. cardui, they are typically about equal in size and do not have blue centers, while the summer morph could contain a few small ones. Typically, two eyespots in the other two are bigger and have more pronounced blue centers. These are typically the spots at either end of the row in V. virginiensis, but in the current species, they are the two in the center. Life Cycle: On the top surface of the leaves of the host plant, females deposit their single eggs. The egg hatches in 4–8 days, and the L1 instar constructs a silk nest to live and feed in, while the L3–L5 instars create loose leaf shelters. Larvae are solitary and come and go from their nests during the day. Males survive for 28 days in the summer and many months in the winter. Development from egg to pupae takes 15-20 days, and adults emerge from pupae in 5-11 days, or around 28-36 days following oviposition. Pupae are often visible on a twig or branch of another plant or hung from a leaf chamber on the stem of the host plant. As a larva, pupa, or adult, overwinters. Males are territorial; they hunt for females by pursuing passing objects and perching on bushes atop hillsides or in gaps in flatland. Damage: Tortoiseshell butterfly larvae feed on milkweed, a toxic plant containing cardiac glycosides, hence the larvae are poisonous. Although deadly, these butterflies have little direct effect on people if not consumed. The larvae of some tortoiseshell butterflies can induce a rash. Occasionally causes mild harm to the foliage of hollyhock (Althaea). Management: Not mentioned.