Butterflies while cutting firewood

[Cris Guppy & Aud Fischer]

As far as I know there is no record of Mourning Cloaks overwintering as
anything except adults. Hence I am assuming the pupae are parasitized.
However this year had a very cold summer, and most flight seasons were
displaced 2-4 weeks later than usual. Mourning Cloak larvae also pupated
very late (August and early September), so it is possible that the pupae are
viable but never had a chance to emerge (unlikely, I think). So I will make
sure I note what emerges in the spring.

-----Original Message-----
From: Paul Cherubini <paulcher at concentric.net>
To: cguppy at quesnelbc.com <cguppy at quesnelbc.com>
Cc: leps-l <leps-l at lists.yale.edu>
Date: October 11, 1999 11:45 PM
Subject: Re: Butterflies while cutting firewood


>Cris Guppy & Aud Fischer wrote:
>
>> I also found 4 Mourning Cloak
>> (Nymphalis antiopa) pupae, apparently alive and hibernating for the
>> winter. I left them in place for the winter, and anticipate that in
>> the spring parasites will emerge.
>
>Does anybody on the list know whether or not the Mourning Cloak butterfly
regularly
>passes the winter in the pupa stage in northern climates? Or is only the
adult butterfly
>capable of surviving the winter cold?
>
>Paul Cherubini, Placerville, California
>