American Lady or Painted Lady Butterfly?

Painted Lady:  4-5 small separate eyespots on inner bottom of hindwing

American Lady: 4-5 small eyespots on inner bottom of hindwing, usually touching one another

Painted Lady:  4-5 small eyespots on outer hindwing

American Lady: 2 large eyespots on outer hindwing 

Painted Lady

Wingspan - 2 to 2 1/4 inches

Caterpillar - Brown with yellow sublateral line and fine yellow dashes on lateral surface and forming a double stripe dorsally; spines and hair gray to white.  Feeds on a variety of plants.  Prefers thistles and mallows.

Range - Very common; occurs practically worldwide; small numbers typically come into New England; odd years there are irruptions (population surge - 2012 is such a year)

Habitat - Any open habitat

Family - Brushfooted Butterflies

Subfamily - True Brushfoots

American Lady

Wingspan - 2 to 2 1/4 inches

Caterpillar - Black to reddish with cream to yellow bands and white spots on seven abdominal segments.   Feeds on pearly everlastings, cudweed, pussytoes and others.

Range - Very common; from southern Canada south through Central America.  Occurs throughout New England.

Habitat - Fields, meadows, roadsides, and coastal dunes

Family - Brushfooted Butterflies

Subfamily - True Brushfoots

These butterflies are quite similar and can be difficult to identify in the field, unless they stop flying to rest or feed, or you can get a photograph and look at the spots later.