West Coast Lady
(Vanessa annabella)
True Brushfoots
Appearance: Above, bright orange and black with squared-off forewing tip and orange leading edge bar one third in from the wing tips (this bar is white on other Ladies). Hindwing has 3 or 4 separated submarginal blue eyespots. Below, eyespots on hindwing are subdued on a mottled background.
Wingspan: Medium; 1 1/2 to 2 1/4 inches.
Habitat: Open fields, meadows, roadsides, gardens, urban and suburban areas; plains, lower foothills.
Flight Times: All year on West Coast. Late summer and fall in Colorado; one brood along the Front Range (numbers found along the Front Range widely fluctuate from year to year).
Larval Foodplant: Mallows and hollyhocks.
Did You Know…
This species winters along the West Coast and migrates eastward as far as the Front Range.
