Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about biodiversity and the hidden quirks of the natural world. The painted lady butterfly—or Vanessa cardui—is a traveler ...

Each year, painted lady butterflies migrate thousands of miles between Africa and Europe. As the environment changes, so do their journeys. A painted lady butterfly waiting on a rocky hilltop for a ...

Every year, for millions of years, a huge number of painted lady butterflies have migrated thousands of miles across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Though they’ve been a common sight throughout ...

What Does a Painted Lady Butterfly Look Like? A painted lady butterfly has an orange and black patterned upper wing with white dots and four or five black dots along each hindwing. Underwings have a ...

It’s taken more than a decade, but scientists have cracked the case of these colorful insects found thousands of miles away from home. Painted lady butterflies (Vanessa cardui, shown resting on a bush ...