Description
British butterflies and their transformations : arranged and illustrated in a series of plates by H.N. Humphreys ; with characters and descriptions by J.O. Westwood.
Date 1840-1841
Source http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/pageimage/12755853 http://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.12483
Author Henry Noel Humphreys; Henry Noel Humphreys; J. O. Westwood
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:British_butterflies_and_their_transformations_(Pl._15)_BHL12755853.jpg

Fig. 1. Vanessa atalanta (red admiral butterfly). 2. showing the under side. 3. the caterpillar. 4. the chrysalis.
Fig. 5. Cynthia huntera = Vanessa cardui (painted lady). 6. showing the underside.
Fig. 7. Cynthia cardui = Vanessa cardui (painted lady). 8. showing the under side. 9. the caterpillar. 10. the chrysalis.

The red admiral (Vanessa atalanta) is a well-known colourful butterfly, found in temperate Europe, Asia and North America. Atalanta is a figure in Greek mythology, a strong yet feminine woman who faces obstacles and backlash for refusing to follow gender norms.

Vanessa cardui is a well-known colourful butterfly, known as the painted lady, or in North America as the cosmopolitan. This butterfly has a strange pattern of flying in a sort of screw shape.