{"id":14677,"date":"2020-09-21T06:30:00","date_gmt":"2020-09-21T10:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/?p=14677"},"modified":"2020-09-21T11:56:21","modified_gmt":"2020-09-21T15:56:21","slug":"take-5-to-paint-the-lily","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-to-paint-the-lily\/","title":{"rendered":"Take 5: To Paint the Lily"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

“To gild refined gold, to paint the lily…is wasteful and ridiculous excess.”<\/p>William Shakespeare, King John Act 4, Scene 2<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The quote above seems fitting for this week’s featured creature: the lovely Painted Lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui<\/em>). As if the vibrant flowers they grace in search of nectar were not gorgeous enough, Painted Ladies seem to adorn them even further with a near-excessive beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Found on every continent except Australia and Antarctica, Painted Ladies were once known as Cosmopolitan butterflies for their wide distribution, the widest of any butterfly in the world. What’s more, they are extremely adaptable and can be found in a variety of settings from the suburbs to the mountains and everywhere in between. More than 100 host plants have been identified for them, but they love thistle in particular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may have spotted iconic Monarch butterflies passing through Massachusetts on their way south, but they’re not the only orange migrating butterfly: Painted Ladies are also heading southward, following the seasonal availability of food sources. They breed year-round, and many successive generations are spawned along their migratory routes, but they don’t overwinter in cold climates\u2014adults must migrate to warmer, more agreeable breeding conditions through the winter or will perish when freezing temperatures set it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are five photos of beautiful Painted Ladies form our annual Picture This: Your Great Outdoors<\/a> photo contest. Only two more weeks to enter the 2020 photo contest, so submit your beautiful nature photography today!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Painted
Painted Lady \u00a9 David Perkins<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Painted
Painted Lady at Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary in Worcester \u00a9 Belia Buys<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Painted
Painted Lady \u00a9 Don Bullens<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Painted
Painted Lady at North River Wildlife Sanctuary in Marshfield \u00a9 Irene Coleman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Painted
Painted Lady \u00a9 Gillian Henry<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“To gild refined gold, to paint the lily…is wasteful and ridiculous excess.” William Shakespeare, King John Act 4, Scene 2 The quote above seems fitting for this week’s featured creature: the lovely Painted Lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui). As if the vibrant flowers they grace in search of nectar were not gorgeous enough, Painted Ladies seem to adorn them even further with a near-excessive beauty. Found on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":14678,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[158],"tags":[33,34,133,268,83,84],"class_list":["post-14677","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-take-5","tag-butterflies","tag-butterfly","tag-insects","tag-odonates","tag-photo-contest","tag-photography"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2020\/09\/1493GillianHenry5060.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3t87A-3OJ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9883,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/a-butterfly-boom\/","url_meta":{"origin":14677,"position":0},"title":"A Butterfly Boom","author":"Hillary T.","date":"October 3, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Bees swarm. Locusts swarm. Butterflies, not so much. But at the moment, many thousands of painted lady butterflies are filling gardens and roadside stands of fall wildflowers at the end of a long flight from Southwestern deserts. There are two species of very similar \u201cLady butterflies\u201d that occur in Massachusetts.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/10\/GillianHenryPaintedLady600.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/10\/GillianHenryPaintedLady600.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/10\/GillianHenryPaintedLady600.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12831,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-beloved-butterflies\/","url_meta":{"origin":14677,"position":1},"title":"Take 5: Beloved Butterflies","author":"Ryan D.","date":"June 24, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"What creature so embodies the bright, warm, joyous season of summer quite like the butterfly? Although we typically picture butterflies flitting about in colorful fields of wildflowers\u2014and rightly so!\u2014these fascinating insects live in a broad spectrum of habitats including forests, heathlands, bogs, swamps, even salt marshes\u2014anywhere, in fact, where their\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Spicebush Swallowtail Butterfly \u00a9 Christine St. Andre","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/06\/3727Christine_StAndre14418_1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/06\/3727Christine_StAndre14418_1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/06\/3727Christine_StAndre14418_1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2019\/06\/3727Christine_StAndre14418_1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":508,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/five-common-summer-butterflies\/","url_meta":{"origin":14677,"position":2},"title":"Five Common Summer Butterflies","author":"Kristin S.","date":"July 30, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Summer is a magical time for watching butterflies. A quick hike in the woods, a few quiet moments in a garden, or even a walk down a city block almost always turns up a few butterflies, more if you\u2019re looking for them.\u00a0Amidst this bounty of butterflies, here are five species\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2012\/07\/GSFritillary-FrankModel-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7771,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-butterfly-fancy\/","url_meta":{"origin":14677,"position":3},"title":"Take 5: Butterfly Fancy","author":"Ryan D.","date":"June 13, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Warm weather and sunshine bring forth a burst of pollen- and nectar-heavy wildflowers this time of year, and with them, a rainbow of colorful butterflies. We tend to associate butterflies with sunny meadows\u2014and rightly so\u2014but did you know that butterflies live in a broad spectrum of habitats including forests, heathlands,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Take 5"","block_context":{"text":"Take 5","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/take-5\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Checkerspot \u00a9 Brendan Cramphorn, 2015 Photo Contest","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/06\/2825Brendan_cramphorn12569.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/06\/2825Brendan_cramphorn12569.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/06\/2825Brendan_cramphorn12569.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8753,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/5-tips-for-attracting-butterflies\/","url_meta":{"origin":14677,"position":4},"title":"5 Tips for Attracting Butterflies","author":"Hillary T.","date":"March 8, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Sure butterflies can be found frolicking in open meadows on warm, breezy summer days, but these exuberant and colorful insects can also be found in your own backyard\u2014if you play your cards right! What does it take to bring the flutter closer to home? Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary Conservation\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/03\/Common-wood-nymph-via-Rosemary-Mosco-at-Graves-Farm-640.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/03\/Common-wood-nymph-via-Rosemary-Mosco-at-Graves-Farm-640.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/03\/Common-wood-nymph-via-Rosemary-Mosco-at-Graves-Farm-640.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3608,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/butterflies-and-moths-busting-the-myths\/","url_meta":{"origin":14677,"position":5},"title":"Butterflies and Moths: Busting the Myths","author":"Rosemary","date":"June 2, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Distinguishing\u00a0a moth from a butterfly should be easy, right? Well, it may be harder than you think. Butterflies are renowned for their bright colors, and moths have a reputation for drabness and nighttime flight\u2014but many don\u2019t fit this pattern. Butterflies and moths are very closely related, and belong to the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/06\/Juvenals-Duskywing.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/06\/Juvenals-Duskywing.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/06\/Juvenals-Duskywing.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/06\/Juvenals-Duskywing.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14677","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/68"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14677"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14677\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14686,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14677\/revisions\/14686"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14678"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14677"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14677"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14677"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}