BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS

Mourning Cloak, Nymphalis antiopa

Order: Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)

Size: Wingspan 2 1⁄4–3 1⁄2"

Habitat: Deciduous woodlands, parks, rural gardens

Range: Throughout temperate North America

The Mourning Cloak is a common butterfly with the angular, jagged wing margins typical of the tortoiseshells. The adult overwinters in tree cavities, emerging the following spring to breed. The upperside wings are deep burgundy-brown with wide, pale yellow margins. Inside the margin are light blue spots surrounded by black. The underside is dark gray with the same yellowish margin, though on this side it is speckled with black. The body is stout and dark brown to blackish both above and below, with thin, club-tipped antennae. The caterpillar is black, is covered with spines, and has small white dots and a row of reddish spots along the back. The caterpillar eats the leaves of a variety of broadleaf trees, including willow, poplar, elm, birch, and hackberry. Adults feed on rotting fruit, tree sap, flower nectar (rarely), and moisture and salts from soil.