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American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis) is a close relative of the Painted Lady, and looks very similar to that species. This butterfly is a strong flier, and partially migratory. It is usually found in open habitats, such as fields or meadows, powerline rights-of-way, or along coastlines, where migrants may accumulate. This butterfly probably doesn't successfully overwinter at this latitude, so the first individuals seen in spring are migrants, which reproduce for several generations before retreating in autumn (Butterflies of Maryland: A Biological Summary and Checklist by Lynn Davidson & Richard Smith). The American Lady is sometimes, confusingly, referred to as the American Painted Lady.

In the American Lady, two of the submarginal eyespots on the hindwing are usually enlarged and the row of spots is usually thinly connected, while they are all similar in size and isolated on Painted Lady. The forewing of American also usually shows a small white spot on an orange background and has more restricted black markings than Painted (Glassberg, 1999).

Larval food plants include Western Pearly Everlasting, Rabbit-tobacco, pussytoes, and possibly other composites.