Will they visit?: Australian Painted Lady’s frequently visit home gardens
Natural Distribution: Common and widespread throughout the South West and Perth region
Vanessa kershawi, Australian Painted Lady butterfly. (C)Sian Mawson
Australian Painted Lady – (CC)Deb Oliver. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Australia License (Atlas of Living Australia)
Australian Painted Lady – (CC)Gordon Claridge. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Australia License (Atlas of Living Australia)
Australian Painted Lady – (CC)Reiner Richter. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Australia License (Atlas of Living Australia)
Australian Painted Lady – (CC)Russell Best. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Australia License (Atlas of Living Australia)
Habitat at a Glance
See Habitat Guide for more detail
Shelter: Sunny positions around the garden
Diet: Adults feed on nectar, caterpillars feed on foliage
Water: Not required
ReWild Benefit: Pollinator
Habitat Guide - Shelter
Natural Shelter
The Australian Painted Lady is a speedy little butterfly. They’re more often seen flying close to the ground, sunning themselves on rocks, sandy ground, or on logs. Caterpillars are active at night and during the day will retreat into a curled leaf.
Novel Shelter
Not required.
Habitat Guide - Food and Water
Providing natural sources of food
The Australian Painted Lady will feed on the nectar on many species of plants (including non-natives). The caterpillars are much more specialised and primarily feed on the foliage of native daisies. Plant an array of native daisies and other annuals to provide food and breeding habitat for this butterfly.
Avoid commercial non-native seeds advertised for butterflies. These plants are usually unsuitable for our native butterflies to breed on – and have the potential to become serious weeds.
Providing sources of water
Not required.
ReWild Benefits
An Australian Painted Lady Butterfly are pollinators and help connect biodiversity across the landscape. If you see them around your garden, you can record your sighting on Atlas of Living Australia!
