Life can be rough when you have fragile wings. I spotted this Mourning Cloak butterfly (Nymphalis antiopa) last Friday at Occoquan Regional Park and could not help but notice the significant damage to its wings. The damage might have actually happened last fall, given that this species overwinters with us as adults, awakens in the spring, and has a lifespan of 11-12 months, one of the longest lifespans for any butterfly.
As I poked about on the internet, I was intrigued to learn that this species is known as the Camberwell Beauty in the United Kingdom. I do not see Mourning Cloak butterflies very often—most of the time it is only when I am in a wooded area, rather than in a marsh or open field. When I do spot one, it is usually hyperactive and I rarely have the chance to capture an image.
The second photo below is the only other photo that I have managed to take of one this spring, and I took it from quite a distance away. Still, I like the way that it shows some of the butterfly’s habitat. I always have to remind myself of the value of these kind of environmental portraits—my normal tendency is to get close with either a macro or a telephoto lens and isolate the subject from its background.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Great photos. I agree that the habitat makes for added depth. Thank you Mike. 😊
Thanks, Suzette.
I saw quite a few in late March, very early for my area, also very tattered looking.
That is interesting to hear, Ed. Having survived the winter, I suspect the butterflies’ main biological imperatives were to eat, mate, and die.
For some reason I don’t see many of these but did see one the other day after the turtle safari. Didn’t get a picture though. They get easily tattered.
I tend to see Mourning Cloaks mostly in early spring and then again in the fall, unlike most other butterflies that seem most common in the warmer months.
The first butterfly’s cloak is in tatters. I didn’t know they overwinter. One wonders how it is possible for such a delicate being to withstand winter storms. Thanks for always adding to my knowledge of our natural surroundings!
You are welcome, Nina. Here’s a link to a little article about how the Mourning Cloak is able to survive during the winter. http://www.naturenorth.com/spring/bug/mcloak/Mourning_Cloak.html
Fascinating!!! I will try to remember not to pupate where I last pooped. An important rule!
Yes, I do very much value seeing environmental portraits as well as the close-up detail. It ‘puts me in the picture’ so to speak.
Stunning! Just wonderful.
Yes, known here as the Camberwell Beauty, but very rare (I’ve never seen them). They are apparently quite common in northern continental Europe, but those that turn up here are merely vagrants.
Thanks for the info. The distribution of birds and insects is fascinating, because of the occasional vagrants that you mentioned. This past winter there were a couple of birds in my area that were over a thousand miles from where they should have been. Birders flocked from all over to get shots of these vagrants.
Funny how obsessed we all get with birds that clearly have no sense of direction 🙂.