PAINTED LADY
This wonderful butterfly Winters in Northern Africa and can be seen on Kefalonia as early as late January. The forewing uppers are a buff orange with black smudges and a black tip with white spots. The hindwing uppers are the same buff orange with smaller black spots and a white border. The under wing is a mix of orange, black and white in a marbled pattern with 4 bluish eye spots on each hindwing. Both sexes are similar in appearance.
From January onwards the painted lady butterflies start to arrive, they can look quite battered after their long journey. They are the most widespread of all butterflies and can feed on over 300 different plants. The adult butterflies feed on flower nectar and aphid honeydew. Males establish territories within areas sheltered by hedgerows and prefer sunny open environments. They start to mate as soon as they arrive, and males will mate with more than 1 female. Females lay eggs on host plants with flowers containing lots of nectar and will continue laying through Spring and Summer. The later generation will make the return trip to Africa as it turns colder.
