Scientists from the University of Ottawa, Uppsala University, the Institut Botànic de Barcelona, and other institutions have tracked the migratory feats of the painted lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui).

The findings challenge previous assumptions about butterfly migration and highlight the role of phenotypic plasticity.

Painted lady butterflies venture far and wide with their impressive migratory patterns that stretch for thousands of miles — but they often travel across land, so they can stop to rest.

Painted lady butterflies are world travelers. The ones we encounter in Europe fly from Africa to Sweden, ultimately returning to areas north and south of the Sahara.