Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-04-02
MOURNING CLOAK BUTTERFLY

tho trumpcting geese are passing over
head and the first wild flowers are begin
ming to assemble in the woods, we see
many dark purple butterflies fitting in
The sunlight, ana often alightng amongst
the brown leaves, where they slowly
open and close their wings II we stop
in our walk and examine one Of them
closely we shall see that il has a mar
gin of creamy yellow around each irreg-
ular wing, and that inside Of this mar
gin is row of blue spots This IS tbs
mourning cloak" 'NanossH antiopa." as
tho cntomologists call it. and "A worry beau
tifnl butterfly it is. although tho spcci-
mons seen at this time Of tho year arc
worry apt TO have rather ragged ap-
pearancc. But where docs II come from.
and how does it happen to be about the
only butterfly VIC sec at this time OF the
year? Tho fact is, that while most ~
our butterflies pass the winter as egg
or pupac, the mourning cloak hbcrnatcs
as an adult ana is thus ready to appear
on the wing at the first suggestion az
warm weather The following imaginary
history will give an idea Of the life OF this
interesting insect
Last May II female mourning cloak but
tornv aighted upon a willow twg, and
moving her abdomen from point to point,
laid % eggs. I'm the form Of a wide collar
about the stem. Then she flew away.
Scarcely had she done so than very
small fly came running UP. just as though
SHE had ordered these eggs and had boon
waiting for them. Running rapidly over
tho cgrs She selected ono. and TRUSTING
her ovipositor into it, laid q very tiny egg.
She ran off for about ha1r a minute. and
thon, selecting another butterfly egg, pro-
cccdod 10 lay ono of hor own inside II.
She did this little act eleven times. and a
COW carne rubbing hor shoulder against
the branch and tho little ny ncw awnv.
She WAS only n twentieth Of an inch in
length but sfc had taken the lives OF ~
least eleven butterflies Her eggs soon
Matched into tiny rnarEots. and each mag
got ate ND contents OF the egg i'm which
he found himself Later, Inc became
| lv but that dooa not concern us now.
/ In about two weeks tho rest of the butter
fly eggs worc hatchcd, and out If each
one came little black caterpillar. through
a hole he had cut for himself Around
/ them were the tender green leaves Of the
wollow. and on to these they marched
at once. as though thcv had received
marching orders before thcv left their
shells But without awaiting auv moss
call' they "foll in" side by side and be-
gan to feed on tho tender PARTS Of tho
considered catahlo on ono loaf they
marched to tho noXt each spinning a
silkon thread wherever ho wont. And al
the slkon threads together formed n car
pct which gave the little catcrpillars
much better foothold than they would
H.
They were not left long In peace. how
ever. for presently two moro little fires
nppeared among them. one with two
wings and the other with four Tho four
winged Gv nicl;od ont onn Of the cater
pillars and. driving hor ovipositor into his
sllin laid n ,-root rnanv enrs porhans "a
hundred inside his body. At first. the
caterpillar went on eating. but by and by
the cers batched and out came as many
hungry r,opeots which GRADUALLY ate him
all up. The two winged fv had visited
several Of the caternilIars and laid a
single egg unon tho hack or each. Whom
these eggs Matched Tho little Grub which
emerged from each boran ia hurrovy
through the skin Of the IuckIcss cater
pillar which hore him and nroceoded to
: Toast mon tho hody or HE wrctcbod
host, Tn a few weeks the uninirrnd cat
erpillars decided To travel 70 another
= branch but those which had boon vie
= tied by the WINGED ~ wore inatle
die