Day 187: There is a stretch of about a tenth of a mile's length on Pack Forest's 1000 Road (north side) which the Mourning Cloaks have deemed prime territory for reasons known only to them, and it was in search of Mourning Cloaks I went, on my annual "1000 Road Butterfly Hunt."
One of the earliest butterflies to emerge, individual Mourning Cloaks may overwinter under flakes of bark, a behaviour which allows the species a head-start over other butterflies in the spring, mating soon after their emergence. The adult butterfly then enters a period of aestivation, going dormant during late summer after the females have laid their eggs. The larvae hatch in the fall and undergo several instars in which the skin is shed as the caterpillar grows larger. The mature caterpillar then pupates and metamorphoses into the adult butterfly.
As for my Butterfly Hunt, I was rewarded not only with a dozen or more Mourning Cloaks (Nymphalis antiopa), but Commas (presumably Polygonia faunus) as well as Green-Veined Whites (Pieris napi) and some unidentified Blues. That's a pretty good score for mid-April!
