Butterflies of North Carolina
Common Name begins with:
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Scientific Name begins with:
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Once on a species account page, clicking on the "View PDF" link will show the flight data for that species, for each of the three regions of the state.
Other information, such as high counts and earliest/latest dates, can also been seen on the PDF page.
Related Species in NYMPHALIDAE:
comNameMourning Cloak by Tom Howard => Falls Lake SRA, 2003-05-28
[View PDF]
Click to enlarge
[Google Images]     BoA [Images ]
sciNameNymphalis antiopa
Link to BAMONA species account.
mapClick on a county for list of all database records for the species in that county.
distributionDISTRIBUTION: Statewide, from the mountains to the Outer Banks. Though no records yet for scattered Coastal Plain counties, likely is present in all counties. It was finally recorded from well-worked Brunswick and Onslow counties, along the coast, in 2011.
abundanceABUNDANCE: Despite its wide range in NC, it is generally uncommon. It is somewhat more numerous in the mountains (where it may be locally fairly common) than in the Piedmont, and it is rare to very uncommon in the central and eastern Coastal Plain.
flightFLIGHT PERIOD: This butterfly has the longest life-span (brood) of any species in the eastern United States, up to about 11 months. The species overwinters as an adult, with these butterflies on the wing on warm winter days, but mainly from mid-February to mid-June, when worn individuals are seen. The new brood is on the wing from mid-May into mid-June downstate, and until mid- or late July in the mountains. Adults then aestivate during the summer, and then fly sporadically in fall (generally October). Some dates refer to migratory individuals.
habitatHABITAT: Most individuals are seen inside or along the margins of hardwood forests. Migrants, however, may be seen flying across roads and other open country. Mourning Cloaks are often seen flying through forests that do not have full leaf cover -- early or mid-spring before leaves have completely emerged, or October when leaves are beginning to drop. They may be seen along forest trails and dirt roads through forests, but they are not typically found in open country.
plantsFOOD AND NECTAR PLANTS: The foodplants are various trees and shrubs -- willows, birches, elms, cottonwoods, etc. The species does not normally nectar at flowers; instead, it feeds on sap, decaying fruit, moist spots on trails and roads, and so forth.
commentsCOMMENTS: This is a common, widespread, and familiar butterfly in the northeastern states, but in NC it is not common, though it may be locally numerous in the mountains and Piedmont. It is not one of the butterflies that the average person will encounter, except for those spending considerable time walking through upland woods in spring and fall. It is one of the more solitary butterflies in NC, and even seeing more than several a day is a rare occurrence.
state_statusS5
fed_statusG5
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Links to other butterfly galleries: [Cook] [Lynch] [Pippen] [Pugh]
Photo by: Paul Hart
Comment: Raven Rock State Park, 2007-04-29
Mourning Cloak - Click to enlarge 		Photo by: Nancy Baldwin
Comment: chrysalis, July 06
Mourning Cloak - Click to enlarge
Photo by: Paul Scharf
Comment: MEMO - Halifax Co., 2009-03-09
Mourning Cloak - Click to enlarge 		Photo by: Rob Van Epps
Comment: May 19, 2012. Mecklenburg Co., West Branch Nature Preserve
Mourning Cloak - Click to enlarge