04/14/2022
Mourning Cloak | Southern New Brunswick | April 13, 2022
Although these butterflies are common in New Brunswick, they are fascinating for several reasons. Mourning Cloaks overwinter as adults and their emergence is one of many signs of spring. As far as butterflies go they are relatively long-lived, living up to 10-12 months. You can see that this one is quite beat up and the colours are faded so it may be getting to the end of it's life. Butterflies need to be warm to fly so the first butterflies you see in the spring are usually dark in colour to help soak up the sun's warmth.
I was happy to see this individual as it was my first butterfly of 2022. It fluttered around my hand and legs several times before landing on the roadside. After gaining a new interest in butterflies and moths last fall, this Mourning Cloak was very much a welcomed sight. "How the winter-tired eyes are gladdened by this courageous flutterer must be known by experience rather than by description" (How to Know butterflies, p. 149., as seen quoted in Butterflies of Ontario and Eastern Canada).
