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These extremely mobile butterflies are known to frequent a variety of habitats and are the earliest butterflies to become active. There are three members of the genus Nymphalis in the insect family Nyphalidae. They are in the order Lepidoptera which is moths and butterflies which is the largest family of butterflies even occasionally being called four footed butterflies. The mourning cloak, American tortoise shell and Compton's tortoise shell butterflies, like all insects, have six legs with the front pair being much smaller and held against their bodies. This gives them the appearance of having only four legs. In most cases the members of this family are large and colorful. The best way to observe all three of these beautiful insects is to walk through a deciduous wood forest in spring when the temperature is still around 60 degrees fahrenheit. Since these butterflies hibernate in these areas almost any large butterfly you see will most likely be one of these three.
While watching you may observe a large butterfly with wings that are deep purplish brown that are edged in yellow. The flight pattern of this butterfly will contain a few rapid flaps of its three inch wings after which it will glide among the trees. This is the first butterfly seen during the spring and is quite probably the mourning cloak butterfly. Within a couple of weeks the Compton's tortoise shell and American tortoise shell butterflies will join the mourning cloak showing off their smaller two inch wing spans which are mostly orange with some brown. You may even see a tiny blue butterfly this is unrelated but also common in early spring.. This is the spring azure butterfly. Like all butterflies, the life of these three is regimented with the adults hibernating under bark or in other protected spaces for the winter months and reappearing in spring. As they emerge they fly about searching for the nectar from early blooming shrubs such as willows and sap from broken twigs which are their main food sources. A newly cut maple or birch tree can create an amazing sight as five to ten of these species compete for the sugary sap.
The mating behavior of these butterflies is best observed in the mourning cloak butterfly which begins with a chase and results in spiral flights. The females produce two to three broods each season in the warmer climates of the South but may produce only one in the colder areas of the North. It is believed that this occurs because this genus is poorly adapted to the cold. Even in warmer climates in certain parts of the day when the air begins to cool these butterflies will seem to simply disappear. This occurs because when the air gets too cold for them to fly about they return to places that are similar to where they have hibernated for winter to partially protect themselves from the cold. Once mating occurs each spring it is believed that new adults mature and go into a summer hibernation which is called aestivation. They emerge again in the fall to feed returning to hibernation in the winter. This would mean that the life span is approximately ten months. There are several parasites that prey on these butterflies including a small fly, Telenomus graptae, which spends its entire life cycle in the eggs of the butterfly. Other predators include ichneumon wasp, tachinid flies and chalcid wasp which are parasites to the larvae.
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