Mourning Cloak

Nymphalis antiopa

Wingspan: 2 7/8-3 3/8″. Above: deep maroon with marginal row of violet-blue marks and yellow borders. Below: dark gray.

• A long-lived butterfly (about 11 months).

• Aggressive butterfly. Usually seen alone.

• Eggs are laid in clusters. Overwinters as an adult.

• Once people thought the larval stage was meat eating, poisonous, and ferocious because it had spines and was very large.

Habitat: Woods, openings, parks, and suburbs, especially along river banks and streams.

Larval food plants: Woods, openings, parks, and suburbs, especially along river banks and streams.

Adult food: Tree sap, especially of oaks. They walk down the trunk to the sap and feed head downward. Also rotting fruit, and only occasionally flower nectar.