A Painted Lady

Painted Lady Butterfly (Vanessa cardui) - Migrant to UK
The lifecycle of a Painted Lady Butterfly has four stages and takes approximately 21 days. But what happens in 21 days is a complete makeover! From an egg laid on a leaf, to hatching as a tiny caterpillar that grows, eats and grows then wraps itself into a chrysalis and finally emerges as a butterfly that dries its wings in the sun and then flys away. Lets hope we get another mass of them this year.