Vanessa virginiensis
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The American painted lady or American lady (Vanessa virginiensis) is a butterfly found throughout North America. The larvae feed on various Asteraceae, such as the cudweeds (genus Gnaphalium), the pussytoes (Antennaria), and the everlastings (Anaphalis), which all belong to tribe Gnaphalieae. All stages of the life cycle can be found throughout temperate North America as well as Madeira and the Canary Islands. Occasionally individuals can be found as far as southwest Europe. It has been introduced to Hawaii where it is one of four Vanessa species.
Vanessa virginiensis is most easily distinguishable by its two large eyespots on the ventral side, whereas V. cardui has four small eyespots and V. annabella has none. V. virginiensis also uniquely features a white dot within the forewing subapical field, set in pink on the underside and usually also in the dorsal side's orange field.
The largest spot in the black forewing tips is white in V. cardui, pale orange in this species, and orange in the West Coast species. The latter also has a purer orange background color of the dorsal side, as opposed to the darker and (especially in V. virginiensis) redder hue of the other two... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Isle Royale National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 6 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 13 | Redwood National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | Padre Island National Seashore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 16 | Los Quetzales National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 17 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 18 | Galápagos Islands | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 19 | Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 20 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Toluca | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 4 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Puebla | 🇲🇽 México |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an American Lady sighting in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, based on 43 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 129th most-seen of the 822 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April–July, September–October and December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an American Lady in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January–March, August and November, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most American Lady sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
11th of 20
Of the 20 parks where we can rate American Lady sightings, Great Smoky Mountains National Park ranks 11th at about 10%. The best odds are in Point Pelee National Park (Canada, about 30%), Acadia National Park (United States, about 30%) and Isle Royale National Park (United States, about 20%).
Same genus: Vanessa
The closest relatives of the American Lady that you can see in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (genus Vanessa, Ladies and Related Admirals) are Red Admiral (about 20%) and Painted Lady (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the American Lady is recorded against all the insects logged in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (43 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
