ECWA
Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association
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Blog

Meet the Mourning Cloak Butterfly

3/14/2019

 
The mourning cloak (Nymphalis antiopa)is one of the first butterflies to re-emerge in North Carolina. This species is the longest lived in the United States, surviving up to 11 months. The adults are dormant in winter, and then re-emerge, wings imperfect and worn, during the first warm days of late winter and early spring. 

This time of year, males are quite bold, bravely chasing birds out of their 300 square meter territories. In early spring, males and females perform a beautiful mating dance, spiraling upward through the air. The females will then lay clusters of eggs on their favorite food plants, black willows, as well as other willow species, elms, birches and hackberries. Although the females die shortly thereafter, caterpillars will emerge from the eggs in April. After three weeks, this brood will have pupated and emerged as fresh, young mourning cloaks. 

The adult mourning cloaks are usually found in woodlands, where they feed on tree sap (especially oak sap), rotting fruit and occasionally nectar, and build up stores for the winter. 

Did you know?
  • Mourning cloak butterflies spend the winter frozen in “cryo-preservation.”
  • They can live up to 11 months in the wild.
  • Their common name refers to their resemblance to the traditional cloak one would where while in mourning.
  • Caterpillars live communally in a web and feed on young leaves. 

Identification: The mourning cloak has brown wings with small blue spots bordering a yellow edge. It reaches 2 ¼ to 4 inches in length. 
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    ECWA's vision is a living creek connecting human and natural communities in Durham. Through land acquisition, collaboration with the city, and public education, we hope to create a Durham where residents can bike or walk across the watershed and stop at local businesses and nature preserves along the way.

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​Office: 904 Broad St Durham, NC 27705 | Mailing: PO Box 2679 Durham, NC 27715 
919.698.9729 | info@ellerbecreek.org
Copyright ©ECWA 
  • Who We Are
    • Our Staff and Board
    • Our Volunteers
    • Our Supporters
    • Our Annual Report
    • History of Ellerbe Creek
    • Careers
  • Our Preserves
    • 17-Acre Wood
    • Beaver Marsh
    • Glennstone
    • Pearl Mill
    • The Rocks
  • Our Work
    • Preserve Stewardship
    • Water Management
    • Land Protection
    • Community Engagement
    • Advocacy
    • Creek Smart​® >
      • About Creek Smart​®
      • Make Your Property Creek Smart
      • Walking Tours
      • Downspout Disconnection
      • Cisterns
      • Rain Gardens >
        • Siting
        • Designing
        • Installing
  • Watershed Stories
  • Attend An Event
  • Donate