Painted lady vs Small tortoiseshell

These two are easy to mix up. Here's how to tell a painted lady from a small tortoiseshell, and whether either one bites or stings.

≠The key differences

Painted lady has a more mottled orange and brown pattern with smaller black patches and different arrangement of white spots on the forewing tips.

	Painted lady	Small tortoiseshell
To humans	Non-toxic	Non-toxic
Size	45-65 mm wingspan	45-62 mm wingspan
Colours	Orange, Black, White, Brown (underside)	Orange, Black, Cream, Blue
Family	Nymphalidae	Nymphalidae
Habitat	Open sunny sites: meadows, gardens, roadsides, disturbed ground and agricultural margins	Open sunny habitats: gardens, meadows, roadside verges, hedgerows and disturbed ground; also woodland edges and parks.
Range	Nearly worldwide: Europe, Asia, Africa, North and Central America and many islands; absent from South America and Antarctica, and only a rare vagrant in Australia (where the similar Australian painted lady occurs)	Widespread across Europe and temperate Asia, from the British Isles and Iberia across to Siberia and parts of East Asia.
Active	Active in warm months; multiple generations per year in warm regions, year-round in some tropical areas; diurnal (day-active)	Spring through autumn; can be seen early in the year after overwintering and is active during daylight, especially on warm, sunny days.
Pest?	No	No

Orange-brown wings with black markings and white spots on the black forewing tips.
Underside of hindwing has several small eyespots (typically four) visible when wings are closed.
Medium size with a wingspan about 45-65 mm and a robust, hairy body.

Bright orange wings with large black patches on the forewings and a dark marginal band containing blue lunules.
Scalloped wing margins and a wingspan of about 45-62 mm.
Underside of wings duller and cryptic—closed wings show a mottled brown pattern for camouflage.
If seen on nettles, look for clustered black spiny caterpillars on the undersides of leaves.

Painted lady has a more mottled orange and brown pattern with smaller black patches and different arrangement of white spots on the forewing tips.

Painted lady: Non-toxic. Small tortoiseshell: Non-toxic. Painted ladies do not bite or sting and are not poisonous. Not dangerous.

Identification from photos is never certain: don't handle insects you can't identify, and get medical advice for bites, stings or allergic reactions.