Belonging to the Cynthia group of colorful butterflies, the painted lady comprises a subgenus of the genus Vanessa in the Family Nymphalidae. They are found in many parts of the world living in temperate and some tropical areas. There are also known as the thistle butterfly and the cosmopolitan.

The painted lady is a large butterfly with a wingspan of 2 - 2 7/8 inches (5.1 - 7.3 cm). They are identified by the black and white corners of its mainly deep orange, black-spotted wings. There are five white spots in the black forewing tips and while the orange areas may be pale here and there, there are no clean white dots in them. The hindwings carry four small submarginal eyespots on dorsal and ventral sides. Those on the dorsal side are black, but in the summer morph sometimes small blue pupils are present in some. Adults sip thistle nectar and some hibernate. The life cycle begins with tiny, pale green eggs. The yellow-striped, brown-green spiny caterpillar builds a silky, webbed nest, usually in thistle.