Butterfly Photography: Vanessa carye

Etelänohdakeperhonen

3/2026 Temuco, Chile

The Western Painted Lady is native to South America. I first met it in Argentina in 2014. It's very similar to the Painted Lady (V. cardui) commonly found in Europe, albeit a bit smaller. The most notable difference is that carye has a set of four blue centered ocelli on its hindwings. This is the reason for the butterfly's local name "Dama cuatro ojos" - "Four Eyes Lady".
Another butterfly related to carye I also saw in Argentina was Vanessa braziliensis, which has a set of two ocelli on its hindwings.
I encountered carye again in Chile in 2024 and 2026 when I saw beautiful fresh specimens.