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 Dave Shetlar reported spotting Mourning Cloak Butterflies (Nymphalis antiopa) fluttering about near the Ohio State Columbus Campus. These butterflies are one of the few butterflies that overwinters in the adult stage. As Dave noted, most will appear a bit tattered; the result of long-living. On sunny days the dark color and basking behavior of the mourning cloak allows it to raise its temperature enough to come out of hibernation, thus making it one of the first signs of spring.
The butterflies are dark purple-black with a yellowish border on the wing. Once warmed by the sun, the butterflies mate and lay eggs. The female lays her eggs, in some cases as many as 300, in a mass on a tree or shrub. The caterpillars emerge approximately 10 days after the eggs are laid and begin feasting on their hosts, which include: aspen, cottonwood, poplar, willow, birch, elm, or hackberry. The larvae are dark colored with purplish markings. They carry the common name of SPINY ELM CATERPILLARS because their bodies are covered with course, black, spiny bristles. The butterflies that develop from this season's crop of caterpillars will remain in a reproductively dormant state, periodically feeding at flowers, sap flows, and on rotting fruit. Then they will overwinter, emerge in the spring, mate and lay eggs.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 10 April 2008 16:58 )
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BYGL 
