 |
| Red Admiral |
An astounding number of Red Admiral Butterflies continue filter
up from the south where they overwinter. Right now they are the most common butterfly
to be found at the Nature Preserve –and just about anywhere else for that
matter. With the species’ host plants (plants in the nettle family) just barely
emerging from the ground, it seems like they may in in fact be all dressed up
with nowhere to go. I suspect that this
phenomenon is yet another of this year’s many examples of nature being “out of
sync”. However, I think that it is safe to assume that the mild winter has led
to a much greater survival rate in Butterflies. Unlike the Admiral, many butterflies
spend their winter with us in some form or other –as adults, chrysalises or
caterpillars. In a normal winter many more of them would have perished. Of course, not just butterflies survived the
winter, but many other kinds of insects as well –including many species that
are butterfly predators. Most of the butterflies’ insect predators attack them
while they are still in the caterpillar stage. Ichneumons are a large family of
parasitic wasps that lay their eggs inside the bodies of living caterpillars. So
instead of the caterpillar developing into a butterfly, their flesh is
commandeered to feed a wasp larva growing inside them. So the abundance of
butterflies in this pre-season period may be followed by a dearth of
butterflies later on. I sincerely hope this isn’t the case.
 |
| Mourning Cloak Butterfly |
Just lately, Mourning Cloak butterflies have been pretty
common in the forest. They are a very regal looking species with iridescent
dark brown upper wings. The wings have a golden trimmed border and a row of
blue spots. The closed wings are the color of charcoal
and appear rough textured, which makes the species a convincing dead-leaf mimic.
 |
| Jagged edged wings help the Cloak to resemble a leaf |
One doesn’t usually associate butterflies with aggressive
behavior, but our Mourning Cloak Butterflies could be considered good candidates
for counseling. The male Cloak will claim a piece of territory and any other
male that passes through will be attacked and perused. The 2 brawling
butterflies often ascend straight up into the tree tops before breaking apart.
The stranger goes on his way and the defender comes back to perch in some
prominent position where he will be ready to quickly spot the next intruder or
potential mate. Neither combatant usually
sustains much damage from these encounters; butterflies after all, are not
exactly armed to the teeth. Honestly, what can they do ...put their proboscis in someone’s
eye? Occasionally, a particularly macho Mourning Cloak will try to chase me out
of his territory, which is always entertaining. Sometimes, just to make him
feel good, I’ll run off yelling “Help!”
 |
| Mourning Cloak caterpillar all decked out with spikes and red spots |
As caterpillars, Mourning Cloaks literally look like they
are dressed to kill. They have bright red spots along their backs, and red
pro-legs on their underside. Bright colors like these often indicate toxicity
to their potential predators. If that’s not enough, these caterpillars also
have rows of long intimidating spikes running all along their backs and sides.
All in all, they don’t look very appetizing –and that’s the whole idea.
 |
| Mourning Cloak feeding on willow leaves |
What’s most interesting about this is that the male Mourning
Cloak so often chooses territories that are far from the where the species main
food plants grow. In the case of the Cloak, their food plants are for the most
part trees in the willow family, which are not typically found in inner forest
situations. But indeed, that’s where the Cloaks look for mates and seek shelter
from the elements.
 |
| Sunning himself on a rock to warm up |
The lifestyle of the Mourning Cloak seems to work well for
the species. The fact that their population remains relatively stable from year
to year is no mean feat in the world of butterflies. They are also the longest
lived of our butterflies –sometimes surviving for an entire year. This of
course, includes the winter months in which they are alive but dormant.
An astounding number of Red Admiral Butterflies continue filter
up from the south where they overwinter. Right now they are the most common butterfly
to be found at the Nature Preserve –and just about anywhere else for that
matter. With the species’ host plants (plants in the nettle family) just barely
emerging from the ground, it seems like they may in in fact be all dressed up
with nowhere to go. I suspect that this
phenomenon is yet another of this year’s many examples of nature being “out of
sync”. However, I think that it is safe to assume that the mild winter has led
to a much greater survival rate in Butterflies. Unlike the Admiral, many butterflies
spend their winter with us in some form or other –as adults, chrysalises or
caterpillars. In a normal winter many more of them would have perished. Of course, not just butterflies survived the
winter, but many other kinds of insects as well –including many species that
are butterfly predators. Most of the butterflies’ insect predators attack them
while they are still in the caterpillar stage. Ichneumons are a large family of
parasitic wasps that lay their eggs inside the bodies of living caterpillars. So
instead of the caterpillar developing into a butterfly, their flesh is
commandeered to feed a wasp larva growing inside them. So the abundance of
butterflies in this pre-season period may be followed by a dearth of
butterflies later on. I sincerely hope this isn’t the case.
No comments:
Post a Comment