Attributes of Nymphalis antiopa
Mourning Cloak
Nymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus, 1758)
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Nymphalinae
Identification: Short projections on both wings, borders irregular. Upperside is purple-black with a wide, bright yellow border on outer margins, and a row of iridescent blue spots at the inner edge of the border.
Wing Span: 2 1/4 - 4 inches (5.7 - 10.1 cm).
Life History: Overwintered adults mate in the spring, the males perching in sunny openings during the afternoon to wait for receptive females. Eggs are laid in groups circling twigs of the host plant. Caterpillars live in a communal web and feed together on young leaves, then pupate and emerge as adults in June or July. After feeding briefly, the adults estivate until fall, when they re-emerge to feed and store energy for hibernation. Some adults migrate south in the fall.
Flight: Usually one flight from June-July.
Caterpillar Hosts: Willows including black willow (Salix nigra), weeping willow (S. babylonica), and silky willow (S. sericea); also American elm (Ulmus americana), cottonwood (Populus deltoides), aspen (P. tremuloides), paper birch (Betula papyrifera), and hackberry (Celtis occidentalis). Older caterpillars wander about and may be found on plants that they do not eat.
Adult Food: Mourning Cloaks prefer tree sap, especially that of oaks. They walk down the trunk to the sap and feed head downward. They will also feed on rotting fruit, and only occasionally on flower nectar.
Habitat: Because Mourning Cloaks roam and migrate, they are found almost anywhere that host plants occur including woods, openings, parks, and suburbs; and especially in riparian areas.
Range: All of North America south of the tundra to central Mexico; rarely in the Gulf States and peninsular Florida. Also native to temperate Eurasia. Comments: Adults live 10-11 months and may be our longest lived butterfly.
Conservation: Not required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: Occasionally may be necessary to control caterpillar damage to shade trees.
Taxonomy Notes:
Images of Nymphalis antiopa
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The map below displays all verified sighting records in the BAMONA database for this species. Each record is indicated with a yellow dot. The orange dots on the map provide access to information about the 400 most recently verified sightings of this species. In some instances, there are several records at the same location. Use the table view to access these records.
Instructions: Click on the map and move your mouse to pan.
Zoom by using the plus [+] and minus [-] on the left side of the map.
To change which map layers are displayed, click on the plus sign [+] on the right side of the map.
The fifty most recently verified sightings are below. See more recently verified sightings of all species.
| Observation Date | Submitter | Region |
Verified Date |
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May 22, 2013 | aut2bhomeincarolina | Clarendon County, South Carolina, United States | May 23, 2013 | Details |
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May 22, 2013 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | May 22, 2013 | Details |
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May 18, 2013 | Chris Neely | Floyd County, Indiana, United States | May 20, 2013 | Details |
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May 19, 2013 | jabberwocky00 | San Bernardino County, California, United States | May 20, 2013 | Details |
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February 26, 2013 | agjackson1 | Muscogee County, Georgia, United States | May 13, 2013 | Details |
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May 10, 2013 | DeLila | Campbell County, Wyoming, United States | May 13, 2013 | Details |
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May 11, 2013 | fm98 | King County, Washington, United States | May 11, 2013 | Details |
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May 05, 2013 | BeaLaporte | Ontario, Canada | May 08, 2013 | Details |
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May 04, 2013 | janet tubb | Ontario, Canada | May 05, 2013 | Details |
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May 04, 2013 | Icecrememann | Dallas County, Texas, United States | May 04, 2013 | Details |
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April 22, 2013 | cobal2913 | Pickaway County, Ohio, United States | April 29, 2013 | Details |
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April 28, 2013 | awolffe | Orange County, California, United States | April 29, 2013 | Details |
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April 28, 2013 | BeaLaporte | Ontario, Canada | April 29, 2013 | Details |
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April 10, 2013 | Bob Bouman | Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States | April 29, 2013 | Details |
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April 26, 2013 | toddewen | Ingham County, Michigan, United States | April 29, 2013 | Details |
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April 26, 2013 | curtis.lehman | Pendleton County, West Virginia, United States | April 28, 2013 | Details |
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April 28, 2013 | monusharun | Ontario, Canada | April 28, 2013 | Details |
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April 23, 2013 | kinuko | Snohomish County, Washington, United States | April 24, 2013 | Details |
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April 17, 2013 | jacqueline67 | Ontario, Canada | April 21, 2013 | Details |
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April 16, 2013 | HHowell | Houston County, Tennessee, United States | April 21, 2013 | Details |
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April 15, 2013 | bepaquet | Chittenden County, Vermont, United States | April 19, 2013 | Details |
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April 16, 2013 | TeddyKuma | Texas, Lampasas County, United States | April 18, 2013 | Details |
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April 17, 2013 | cheebee32 | Jefferson County, New York, United States | April 17, 2013 | Details |
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April 14, 2013 | PDunwiddie | Grant County, Washington, United States | April 15, 2013 | Details |
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April 14, 2013 | curtis.lehman | Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, United States | April 14, 2013 | Details |
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April 12, 2013 | tlynn6 | San Bernardino County, California, United States | April 13, 2013 | Details |
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April 12, 2013 | Kcarver619 | San Diego County, California, United States | April 12, 2013 | Details |
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April 12, 2013 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | April 12, 2013 | Details |
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April 04, 2013 | gertieflies | Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States | April 11, 2013 | Details |
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April 06, 2013 | lou_s | Somerset County, New Jersey, United States | April 11, 2013 | Details |
| April 11, 2013 | kelly.lotts | Whatcom County, Washington, United States | April 11, 2013 | Details | |
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April 10, 2013 | jfkoza | Essex County, Massachusetts, United States | April 10, 2013 | Details |
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April 05, 2013 | kateandjohn | Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States | April 09, 2013 | Details |
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April 06, 2013 | Nymphalis antiopa | Prince Edward County, Virginia, United States | April 08, 2013 | Details |
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April 06, 2013 | Nymphalis antiopa | Prince Edward County, Virginia, United States | April 08, 2013 | Details |
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April 08, 2013 | Michelle Noonan | Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States | April 08, 2013 | Details |
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April 08, 2013 | Buckeye Bruce | Franklin County, Ohio, United States | April 08, 2013 | Details |
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April 06, 2013 | jaybird36 | Morris County, New Jersey, United States | April 06, 2013 | Details |
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April 06, 2013 | A C | St Marys County, Maryland, United States | April 06, 2013 | Details |
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April 06, 2013 | CA Ivy | Adair County, Oklahoma, United States | April 06, 2013 | Details |
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March 31, 2013 | Melanie Weiss | King County, Washington, United States | April 04, 2013 | Details |
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March 30, 2013 | Teanaway | Kittitas County, Washington, United States | April 04, 2013 | Details |
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April 01, 2013 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | April 03, 2013 | Details |
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March 31, 2013 | H.Turnbull | Kitsap County, Washington, United States | April 02, 2013 | Details |
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March 29, 2013 | Jim Lyons | Snohomish County, Washington, United States | April 01, 2013 | Details |
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March 30, 2013 | treichard | Prince Georges County, Maryland, United States | April 01, 2013 | Details |
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March 30, 2013 | curtis.lehman | Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, United States | March 31, 2013 | Details |
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March 25, 2013 | Larry Skiles | Los Angeles County, California, United States | March 30, 2013 | Details |
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March 27, 2013 | SteamFireman | San Diego County, California, United States | March 30, 2013 | Details |
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February 28, 2013 | fitzclarke@bellsouth.net | Chatham County, Georgia, United States | March 27, 2013 | Details |
