The West Coast lady (Vanessa annabella) is one of three North American species of brush-footed butterflies known colloquially as the "painted ladies". V. annabella occurs throughout much of the western US and southwestern Canada. The other two species are the cosmopolitan Vanessa cardui (painted lady) and the eastern Vanessa virginiensis (American painted lady). This species has also been considered a subspecies of the South American Vanessa carye and is frequently misspelled as "anabella".

Aside from general differences in distribution, V. annabella can be distinguished from the other two painted ladies of North America as follows:
 Most conspicuously, it lacks obvious ventral eyespots on the hindwings; there are two large ones on V. virginiensis and four small ones on V. cardui. Like the latter, it also lacks a white dot in the pinkish-orange subapical field of the ventral and dorsal forewings. Its upperwing coloration has the purest orange of the three; the American painted lady is usually quite reddish.
 A less reliable indicator is the row of black eyespots on the dorsal submarginal hindwing. These are usually of roughly equal size in V. cardui and lack blue centers, though the summer morph may have a few tiny ones. In the other two, usually two eyespots are larger and have more conspicuous blue centers. In V. virginiensis, these normally are the spot at each end of the row, whereas in the present species it is the two middle ones.

Distinguishing features

harmful

bite

Vanessa annabella is considered a tree pest because its larvae feed on the leaves of various tree species, causing defoliation and potentially weakening the trees' overall health and vitality.

tree pest

Vanessa annabella can be considered a garden pest because their larvae feed on the leaves of many garden plants, potentially causing damage and defoliation, which can impact the overall health and aesthetics of the garden.

garden pest

Vanessa annabella can be considered crop pests because their larvae have been known to feed on the leaves of certain crop plants, leading to defoliation and potential yield loss, which can negatively impact agricultural productivity.

crop pest

Vanessa annabella is considered a pest because its larvae feed on the leaves of trees, garden plants, and certain crops, causing damage, defoliation, and potential yield loss, which can negatively impact the health and productivity of these plants.

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Is the west Coast lady poisonous?

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