The Thistle Butterfly - Vanessa cardui L.
The Thistle Butterfly is one of the day-flying butterflies of the brush-footed family, noticeable, beautiful, and very brightly colored. It is also known as the thistle butterfly. The wingspan can reach up to 60 mm. The forewings are black at the tips, with large white spots. The hindwings are slightly darker than the forewings, with rounded black spots along the edges.
The female lays eggs one by one on the leaves of the host plants for the caterpillars. They primarily feed on the leaves of thistles and nettles. There are known cases where thistle caterpillars have destroyed weeds in fields.
The caterpillar is reddish, with its body covered in small projections. Its coloration varies significantly and likely depends on the host plant. Caterpillars usually inhabit leaves tied together with silky threads, forming a triangular shelter. In such a "refuge," it eats holes between the leaf veins. Throughout its life, one caterpillar creates 7-9 such "refuges" from leaves. Fifth-instar caterpillars sometimes leave their shelters and live openly. The harmfulness lies in the fact that the phytophagous caterpillar feeds on the leaves during its development and can eat them down to the veins, i.e., it creates holes between the leaf veins.
The pupa is free, gray or brown with shiny brown spots, attached head down. The pupal stage lasts for 2-3 weeks.
Butterflies are found in spring and almost all summer. They fly in fields, meadows, and steppes. They are not found in forests. In some years, they appear in large numbers. In spring, hibernated butterflies fly, and from mid-summer, butterflies of the new generation appear. In our region, 2-3 generations develop in a season.
One of the most well-known migratory butterflies, this is a characteristic feature of its lifestyle. It seems that these wonderful butterflies love to travel. They prefer to fly in groups, like birds. During migration, butterflies fly at a speed of about 25-30 km/h and can cover distances of up to 500 kilometers in a day in some cases. The total length of their migration can reach 5000 (!) kilometers or more.
Distribution: throughout Kyrgyzstan. The species' range is vast. The Thistle Butterfly inhabits everywhere in the world except South America.
INSECTS OF KYRGYZSTAN
