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.
By default, the fifty most recently verified sightings are below. Sort by Observation Date to see the most recent sightings, or filter the sightings by region to get a regional list.
| Observation Date | Submitter | Region |
Verified Date |
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June 18, 2013 | Mrsmcdan40 | Erie County, New York, United States | June 18, 2013 | Details |
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June 10, 2013 | je122772 | Stark County, Ohio, United States | June 17, 2013 | Details |
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September 03, 2012 | mom2krb | Erie County, New York, United States | June 13, 2013 | Details |
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September 25, 2012 | mom2krb | Erie County, New York, United States | June 13, 2013 | Details |
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September 27, 2012 | mom2krb | Erie County, New York, United States | June 13, 2013 | Details |
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September 29, 2012 | mom2krb | Erie County, New York, United States | June 13, 2013 | Details |
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June 09, 2013 | dwaynewood58 | Erie County, New York, United States | June 10, 2013 | Details |
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June 09, 2013 | Kevin Davis | Nassau County, New York, United States | June 10, 2013 | Details |
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June 05, 2013 | painted lady | Benton County, Arkansas, United States | June 07, 2013 | Details |
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June 01, 2013 | PDunwiddie | Kittitas County, Washington, United States | June 05, 2013 | Details |
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June 02, 2013 | dpgbfly1 | Isanti County, Minnesota, United States | June 05, 2013 | Details |
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June 03, 2013 | Kmoreland24 | Marion County, West Virginia, United States | June 04, 2013 | Details |
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June 02, 2013 | BeaLaporte | Ontario, Canada | June 03, 2013 | Details |
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June 02, 2013 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | June 03, 2013 | Details |
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May 28, 2013 | JohnF | Penobscot County, Maine, United States | June 02, 2013 | Details |
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May 31, 2013 | Lynn Meyer | Quebec, Canada | June 01, 2013 | Details |
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June 01, 2013 | gunhilda | Payne County, Oklahoma, United States | June 01, 2013 | Details |
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June 01, 2013 | necropteluate | Page County, Virginia, United States | June 01, 2013 | Details |
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May 29, 2013 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | May 30, 2013 | Details |
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May 28, 2013 | painted lady | Benton County, Arkansas, United States | May 29, 2013 | Details |
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May 29, 2013 | desirn | Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States | May 29, 2013 | Details |
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May 29, 2013 | sandiland | Will County, Illinois, United States | May 29, 2013 | Details |
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May 26, 2013 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | May 27, 2013 | Details |
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May 25, 2013 | Jeff Trahan | St Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States | May 27, 2013 | Details |
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June 24, 2012 | sandpeach | Silver Bow County, Montana, United States | May 25, 2013 | Details |
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May 24, 2013 | Angelinaf | Jefferson County, Missouri, United States | May 24, 2013 | Details |
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May 11, 2013 | Darro | British Columbia, Canada | May 24, 2013 | Details |
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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 |
