Fotos

After a frustrating week without computer and not knowing whether I'd ever see my files again, including 10 months' worth of digital photos, I'm back in business and online once again.
DO TAKE BACK-UP OF YOUR FILES!!
This is an entry for the scavenger hunt for something orange ;-)
Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)
Description:
The upperside of the wings is orange-brown with darker wing bases. The forewing has a black patch and white bar on leading edge, and the hindwing has a row of 5 small black spots and sometimes has blue scales. The underside has a black, brown, and gray pattern with 4 small eyespots. Painted lady butterflies have a wing span of 2 - 2 7/8 inches (5.1 - 7.3 cm).
Life history:
Males perch and patrol during the afternoon for females that are ready to mate. In the West males usually perch on shrubs on hilltops, while in the East males perch on bare ground in open areas. Females lay eggs one at a time on the tops of host plant leaves. Caterpillars live in silk nests and eat leaves. Adults hibernate only in the South and in mild winters.
Caterpillar hosts:
More than 100 host plants have been recorded by scientists. Their favorites include thistles (Asteraceae), hollyhock and mallow (Malvaceae), and various legumes (Fabaceae).
Adult food:
The painted lady prefers nectar from plants 3-6 feet high, especially thistles; also aster, cosmos, blazing star, ironweed, and joe-pye weed. Flowers from other families that are visited include red clover, buttonbush, privet, and milkweeds.
Habitat:
These butterflies live almost everywhere, especially in open or disturbed areas including gardens, old fields, dunes.
Treatment: Crop, contrast +10, brightness +5, saturation +10, USM and resize.