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| Characteristics: Medium-large butterfly, brown-black on dorsal surface with wide yellow borders. A row of blue spots occurs adjacent to the wings. Prices: $7.50 each $84.00 Dozen Price breaks for over 2 dozen Caterpillars are $2.00 each Chrysalis are $5.00 each Order here: Another thing we love about Mourning Cloaks their frass is dry so they are much more immune to diseases. Host Plants Include: Willows, Poplars, Cottonwood, Elms etc. |
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Mourning Cloaks lay their eggs in
clusters and up to 450 a batch!
clusters and up to 450 a batch!
My Mom in the flight house holding a
mourning cloak.
mourning cloak.
Transferring butterflies from one flight
house to another is easy using these
pop up carriers. .
house to another is easy using these
pop up carriers. .
Chrysalis emerging into butterflies
inside of our chrysalis house.
inside of our chrysalis house.
One of these beauties getting nectar in
the flight house.
the flight house.
Mourning cloaks LOVE rotting fruit.
You can see them here enjoying our
banana boats.
You can see them here enjoying our
banana boats.
Here is a picture of one of the cats.
One way you can tell if it is a mourning
cloak is the orange feet.
One way you can tell if it is a mourning
cloak is the orange feet.
Mourning cloaks don't mind being
crowded and the cats will travel in
groups until the last stage.
crowded and the cats will travel in
groups until the last stage.
Many people will mistake these as
dead caterpillars but its really just skin
casing from them shedding from going
form one stage to the next.
dead caterpillars but its really just skin
casing from them shedding from going
form one stage to the next.
| Written By Nigel: It is useful to get Mourning Cloak breeding stock from California if you can. This is a separate sub-species called "Grandis" and although looks exactly the same as those from the North, it is multiple brooded in the season and many generations can be achieved in a year. This is unlike all those M.C.'s from further North, which are single brooded and will only give one generation of a adults per year. Nigel A few more points why I think that Mourning Cloaks should be more widely considered as a great species for releases. 1. It is a gregarious species, the female lays huge egg batches, and the larvae develop together in huge masses, and actually thrive in crowded conditions, (Unlike the Monarch). 2. There is no need to sterilise the host plant, Mourning Cloaks are unaffected by O.e. And they feed on many different host plants. 3. The Mourning Cloak is considered to be the longest living of all the U.S. Species. 4. It over winters as an adult and can take winter temperatures down to minus 22f and lower! It is a very easy species to breed (In the US!) 5. You breed as many as you like and can keep the adults in refrigerated conditions until you need them, no need to feed them once in the fridge, you just take them out when needed, they will last for many, many months in the fridge. 6. They are beautiful! 7. They fly in lower temperature than nearly all other butterflies. 8. This is a tough strong butterfly, that is easily handled! |