Perhaps you spotted them on La Cienega, flitting north by the thousands near the Westfield mall. Maybe you saw them in Santa Anita, crossing a quiet residential street in a thick, fluttering line. For ...

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 ...

The Painted Lady Butterfly is the most widespread butterfly species found on the planet, occupying all continents except Antarctica and Australia! Painted Ladies belong in the family Nymphalidae, ...

The colors and patterns many animals possess can sometimes be described as artistic. Some animals, particularly butterflies, can be so precisely adorned with an array of colors and patterns that it ...

The skies of Southern California have become filled with millions of painted lady butterflies in the biggest migration event since 2005, thanks to recent heavy rain. Experts say the state's unusually ...

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 ...

Cold, wet conditions early in the year mean that 2006 is shaping up as the worst year for California's butterflies in almost four decades, according to Art Shapiro, professor of evolution and ecology ...