Yesterday afternoon, while hiking atop a ridge south of Columbia, my wife and I enjoyed both the mild, sunny weather and broad vistas through the leafless forest. But the highlight of our walk was the sighting of a mourning cloak butterfly.
Common throughout Missouri, mourning cloaks winter as adults, sheltering in tree cavities or beneath loose bark; on warm, sunny winter days, they often emerge to scour the woodland. These Northern Hemisphere butterflies may live up to 12 months but produce only two generations each year. Eggs are laid on the terminal twigs of host trees (elms, poplars, hackberry, willows) and the caterpillars (which undergo several molts) feed on the leaves of those trees. Adult mourning cloaks feast primarily on tree sap though they may sip nectar from woodland flowers as well.
In all my years of wandering through winter forests, this may be the first time I have encountered a butterfly in February. Just the latest reminder that nature's diversity is under appreciated, even by those of us who spend a great deal of time tramping through her landscapes.
