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.
Comments: NULL
Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 7875 verified sightings
Observation date: Jun 29, 2013
Submitted by: Tommie Rogers
Region: Jackson County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Mar 24, 2019
Observation date: Mar 14, 2019
Submitted by: pachips
Region: Bedford County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Mar 22, 2019
Observation date: Mar 07, 2019
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Ventura County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Mar 08, 2019
Observation date: Jun 08, 2018
Submitted by: Evafrank
Region: Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Feb 17, 2019
Observation date: Feb 06, 2019
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Clarendon County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Feb 12, 2019
Observation date: Aug 07, 2015
Submitted by: hydapse
Region: Carbon County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Feb 01, 2019
Observation date: Apr 23, 2018
Submitted by: tjrickert
Region: Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jan 24, 2019
Observation date: Jul 09, 2018
Submitted by: Tesorodelmar
Region: Los Angeles County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jan 06, 2019
Observation date: Jun 30, 2018
Submitted by: galladia
Region: Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Dec 26, 2018
Observation date: Sep 24, 2018
Submitted by: klosteli
Region: Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Dec 22, 2018
Observation date: Aug 05, 2018
Submitted by: LadyKimariah
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Dec 12, 2018
Observation date: Apr 30, 2018
Submitted by: Reiner Jakubowski
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Dec 10, 2018
Observation date: Nov 29, 2018
Submitted by: mrech666@yahoo.com
Region: Monroe County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Nov 30, 2018
Observation date: Oct 12, 2018
Submitted by: treichard
Region: Orange County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Nov 24, 2018
Observation date: Apr 22, 2018
Submitted by: Dkalyn
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Nov 24, 2018
Observation date: Apr 25, 2018
Submitted by: Stoneypr
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Nov 24, 2018
Observation date: May 02, 2018
Submitted by: Paul Prappas
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Nov 24, 2018
Observation date: May 05, 2018
Submitted by: bobscafe
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Nov 24, 2018
Observation date: May 11, 2018
Submitted by: Karlissa J
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Nov 24, 2018
Observation date: Jul 04, 2018
Submitted by: Veronica Murphy
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Nov 24, 2018
Observation date: Jul 15, 2018
Submitted by: Vruss
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Nov 24, 2018
Observation date: Jul 18, 2018
Submitted by: Lammy01
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Nov 24, 2018
Observation date: Sep 04, 2012
Submitted by: RNeilson
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Nov 24, 2018
Observation date: Jul 16, 2018
Submitted by: WhiteRaven
Region: Boise County, Idaho, United States
Verified by: stevekohler
Verified date: Nov 20, 2018
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