Eastern Comma in Winter

Even before I saw my 1st Mourning Cloak butterfly this spring, I saw my 1st Eastern Comma butterfly when it was still technically winter (though I'm sure it was an unseasonably warm day). With a little luck you might run across one of these guys yourself.

The reason you can see these butterflies so early in the year is similar to why you can see Mourning Cloaks so early:

  1. They overwinter as adults, presumably hiding under bark or in leaf litter as they go dormant during cold temperatures.
  2. They don't rely on nectar (which is rare in winter and early spring) for sustenance, actually preferring to drink sap, the fluids of rotting fruit, or scat. They don't need flowers to survive.
Note that we had some pretty cold weather after this date, but that doesn't necessarily harm this butterfly. It can re-enter a dormant state without much of a problem, and then become active again when things warm up again.
March 11, 2022 at Duke Farms
Photo 186583629, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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