The first Painted Lady butterfly of the
year appear in late March possibly as a result of the very heavy rains. Although
the Painted Lady can survive in Saudi Arabia in most years the majority of
butterflies are probably migrants. The Painted Lady is the most widely
distributed butterfly in the world occurring on all continents except Antarctica.
It is a large butterfly with a buffy-orange background colour to the
upper-wings. The forewings have black tips marked with white spots and the
hind-wings have rows of brown or black circular spots. The underside of the
wing is pale buff brown than the upper-wing. Newly emerged butterflies are
brighter coloured, with the colouring becoming muted with age.
