Mourning Cloak Butterfly

Mourning Cloak Butterfly

The temperature in this part of Virginia set a record yesterday. I saw 84 degrees on my computer's Google gadget, but the paper says it only made it to 82. Anyway, that's still about 30 degrees warmer than the average temperature in February should be.

So, you can imagine my surprise when a butterfly swooped by and landed in my garden. And wouldn't you know I had my camera in my hand? I snapped a quick shot of the phenomena and downloaded it today. But a little research proved that this was not, however, unusual. Did you know that the Mourning Cloak is the state butterfly of Montana?

I would guess this has to do with the fact that the Mourning Cloak is a sign of summer that our northwestern friends cherish on a snowy day. Ahh! A butterfly in the snow. I recommend an article in Nature North to those who wish to learn a little more about this bug. The long-lived butterfly overwinters and hibernates. When it emerges, it mates and dies soon after.

I hope my little Mourning Cloak finds a friend.