Australian Painted Lady Vanessa kershawi
Wingspan: 43 mm - 47 mm
Sighted Claire Cottage: In every month of the year but not every month every year.
Distribution: From Cooktown, FNQ south across all QLD, all NSW, all Victoria, all Tasmania, all SA, southern NT and southern WA.
Migratory species: migrates some years, usually in Spring, from north to the south, often on very wide fronts, over a one to two month period.
Status Claire Cottage: very common
Status Dorrigo Plateau: seen annually
Wingspan: 43 mm - 47 mm
Sighted Claire Cottage: In every month of the year but not every month every year.
Distribution: From Cooktown, FNQ south across all QLD, all NSW, all Victoria, all Tasmania, all SA, southern NT and southern WA.
Migratory species: migrates some years, usually in Spring, from north to the south, often on very wide fronts, over a one to two month period.
Status Claire Cottage: very common
Status Dorrigo Plateau: seen annually
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Australian Painted Lady Vanessa kershawi
Wingspan: 43 mm - 47 mm
Distribution: From Cooktown, FNQ south across all QLD, all NSW, all Victoria, all Tasmania, all SA, southern NT and southern WA.
Status Claire Cottage: very common
Butterfly Sightings:
- CLAIRE COTTAGE:
- Aug 2004, 2006, 2007, 2012,
- Sep 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2023,
- Oct 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2021, 2022,
- Nov 2001, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2021,
- Dec 2001, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023,
- Jan 2002, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023,
- Feb 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2023,
- Mar 2002, 2011, 2015, 2023,
- Apr 2009, 2010, 2013, 2023,
- May 2002, 2012, 2013,
- June 2014,
- July 2014, 2016,
- DORRIGO PLATEAU elsewhere: various random sightings around Dorrigo district
Larva Sightings:
- CLAIRE COTTAGE: Dec 2006, 2014, Feb 2024,
- DORRIGO PLATEAU elsewhere: None to date
Larval Food Plants:
- CLAIRE COTTAGE: ASTERACEAE: Coronidium rutidolepis,
- DORRIGO PLATEAU elsewhere: (as for Claire Cottage)
- ELSEWHERE: ASTERACEAE: Ammobium alatum, Bracteantha bracteata, Chryssocephalum apiculatum, C. semipapposum, Gnaphalium sp., Helichrysum rupicola, H. scorpioides, Rhodanthe chlorocephalum, (note 6 introduce plants to be added) *Arctotheca,
Habitat where found at Claire Cottage: moist areas above 800 metres near rainforest
Flight habit: Throughout the day.
Last autumn sighting - Dorrigo Plateau: 20/04/20
Interesting observations.
* One of the butterflies that can be seen flying during winter although it is more common in the warmer months. In September 2007 & 2013 and October 2016 Spring migrations brought large numbers of this butterfly to the Plateau traveling on warm westerly winds.
* We observed a female Painted Lady egg laying on a patch of Leptorhynchos squamatus (Scaly Buttons) on 31/10/16. At this altitude Scaly Buttons die in winter and commence regrowth in October.
* 17/01/21 - witnessed a female Painted Lady egg depositing on a distant clump of Leptorhynchos squamatus (Scaly Buttons)
* 10/01/23 - watched a beautiful newly emerged specimen flying up and down on the edge of our rainforest, Finally it settled on bright green ground covers in a patch of sunlight with thick rainforest as a backdrop - a truly beautiful butterfly in a wonderful setting.
* 06/02/23 - watched a female deposit an egg (green)