How to attract the Mourning Cloak butterfly

Host plants and ability to hide in plain sight is butterfly’s secret to success

It’s easy to overlook a mourning cloak butterfly. After all, it lacks the elegance of our swallowtails and the bright, colourful markings of our monarchs.

But don’t sell the Mourning Cloak short. Not only are they a tough, long-lived species, they can take the cold of even a severe winter and emerge the following spring.

The Mourning Cloak’s (Nymphalis antiopa) and the Camberwell Beauty’s (Britain), drab looks might just be the reason you are seeing it. In fact, it just might help these butterflies hide in plain sight.

They are often cited as the first butterflies of spring because rather than migrating like monarchs, these tough little guys do not participate in long-distance migration. Instead of migrating, research suggests that the mourning cloak butterflies overwinter in place.

Where does a Mourning Cloak overwinter?

If you are looking for another reason not to rake up your leaves and remove every fallen branch from the ground, look no further than the Mourning Cloaks. These butterflies rely on “antifreeze” chemicals in their blood to survive winter in cold climates, while they hide under bark, in woodpiles, under leaves and in rock crevices.

These butterflies are mid-size – smaller than monarch’s and swallowtails, but certainly larger than skippers and sulphurs. Although they are relatively common in most areas of North American and Europe, don’t be surprised if you are thinking that you don’t recall ever seeing one.

Unless you are paying attention to your butterflies, these ones can quickly disappear into nature once they land. Often mistaken for an old leaf, these guys are masters of disguise.

I have come across them in the garden and the only way I notice them is when I, by accident, scare one up into flight.

Where are Mourning Cloaks found?

This butterfly is native to North American and Eurasia. It has earned a reputation as a strong flyer and is often found during migration far from its more common range.

Not only is this butterfly present in abundance throughout all of the United States except Florida, its range extends up into the northern regions of Canada.

The Mourning Cloak is found in most environments including gardens, open woodlands, forest borders near streams and ponds.

For more on our native butterflies, check out my post on How to attract the Giant Swallowtail.

How long does the Mourning Cloak usually live?

There are lots of reasons for the butterfly’s success, not the least that it boasts one of the longest lifespans for any butterfly at an impressive 11 to 12 months.

In caterpillar form, you might know it as the spiny elm caterpillar.

What are the Mourning Cloak’s host plants?

Part of its success lies with the fact that, unlike monarchs and other butterflies that rely on a very narrow number of host plants, the Mourning Cloak is happy to use a large number of host plants to lay their eggs and raise their young in the form of caterpillars (bird food).

The growing importance and awareness of native plants in our landscapes has never been a more persuasive influence on what we should be planting. More gardeners are recognizing that butterflies need more than flowers to feed on to survive as a species. Equally important are the plants that the larvae need to live on before they emerge as adult butterflies.

Here is a list of host plants for the Mourning Cloak butterfly.

• Weeping Willow (Salix babylonica)

• White Poplar (Populus alba)

• Cottonwood (Populus deltoides)

• Black Poplar (Populas nigras)

• Alder (Alnus serrulata)

• Ironwood (Ostrya virginiana)

• Various Maple trees (Acer spp.)

• Sugar Hackberry (Celtis laevigata var. reticulata)

• Common Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis)

• American Elm (Ulmus Americana)

• Siberian Elm (ulmus pumila)

• Slippery Elm (Ulmus rubra)

• Hops (Humulus lupulus)

• Red Mulberry (Morus rubra)

• White Ash (Fraxinus americana)

• Common Pear (Pyrus communis)

• Carolina Basswood (Tilia americana)

• Sheep Sorrel (Rumex acetosella)