Opinion | Painted Lady Butterflies Live on Almost Every Continent. We Can Learn From Their Resilience.

The migration of the Painted Lady butterfly

The Painted Lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui) undertakes the longest known butterfly migration — an annual, multigenerational journey between Europe and tropical Africa. In search of blooming flowers and host plants, these butterflies travel more than 9,000 miles round-trip, crossing deserts, seas and mountains along the way.