West Coast Lady

West Coast Lady (Vanessa annabella) is in the Brush-footed Butterflies family (Nymphalidae). Across the U.S., iNaturalist users have logged 13,280 research-grade observations of it in our sample, peaking in April.

Seasonal pattern in the national data: seasonal. Counts also reflect when people are out photographing, so compare months within a state rather than across states.

When to photograph West Coast Lady: observations by month (U.S.)

About West Coast Lady

The West Coast lady (Vanessa annabella) is one of three North American species of brush-footed butterflies known colloquially as the "painted ladies". V. annabella occurs throughout much of the western US and southwestern Canada. The other two species are the cosmopolitan Vanessa cardui (painted lady) and the eastern Vanessa virginiensis (American painted lady). This species has also been considered a subspecies of the South American, Vanessa carye, and is frequently misspelled as "anabella".From Wikipedia via iNaturalist — article, CC BY-SA.

West Coast Lady by state

Main season = months with at least 30% of the state's peak-month count.

Related butterflies (Brush-footed Butterflies)

MonarchDanaus plexippus

Gulf FritillaryDione vanillae

Common BuckeyeJunonia coenia

Red AdmiralVanessa atalanta

Pearl CrescentPhyciodes tharos

Painted LadyVanessa cardui

American LadyVanessa virginiensis

Variegated FritillaryEuptoieta claudia

Photography tips

• Butterflies are sluggish on cool mornings — the best time for close approaches.
• Keep the sensor parallel to the wings for edge-to-edge sharpness.
• Nectar plants in bloom are reliable places to wait.

FAQ