Lovely Painted Ladies

Painted ladies Vanessa cardui spend a lot of time in our native garden.

This one is sipping nectar from Siskiyou Wooly Sunflowers Eriophyllum lanatum 'Siskiyou' .

Look at that long proboscis!

Interesting that it is sipping nectar from the petals.

This painted lady is enjoying the warmth of the sun on its wings as it rests on a wood chip path in the garden. We always notice the lovely patterns and colors of their wings, but I only realized now what lovely faces these butterflies have.

Note the dark vertical stripes on its face.

Pumping its wings to distribute the sun's warmth throughout its body.