Like most insects, all butterflies have six legs. However, at first glance your Painted Lady Butterflies may only look like they have four! The Painted Lady butterfly, like many other butterflies in the family Nymphalidae has two more legs that are tucked up tight against its body, just beneath the head. These are known as "vestigial" legs. Nymphalidae or "brush-footed" butterflies are known to have these two vestigial legs in addition to their four normal ones. This doesn't mean that these two legs are useless, however: many species including the Painted Lady have sensory hairs on these legs which help them smell and taste!
With thanks for this information from The Butterfly Pollinator, the online newsletter of Insect Lore.
You can order caterpillars from Insect Lore and raise your own painted lady butterflies.
Learn about raising painted lady butterflies in my book Butterflies in Room 6.
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