mourning cloak

n. A nymphalid butterfly (Nymphalis antiopa) of Eurasia and North America, having purplish-brown wings with a broad yellow border.

mourning cloak

n (Animals) the US name for Camberwell beauty

mourn′ing cloak`

n. an anglewing butterfly, Nymphalis antiopa, widely distributed in Europe and North America, having velvety, dark brown wings with blue spots and pale yellow edges. [1600–10]

Thesaurus

Noun

mourning cloak - of temperate regions; having dark purple wings with yellow bordersCamberwell beauty, mourning cloak butterfly, Nymphalis antiopabrush-footed butterfly, four-footed butterfly, nymphalid, nymphalid butterfly - medium to large butterflies found worldwide typically having brightly colored wings and much-reduced nonfunctional forelegs carried folded on the breastgenus Nymphalis, Nymphalis - type genus of the Nymphalidae: mourning cloak butterflies

Mourning Cloak

(Nymphalis antiopa), a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. The wingspan is 7–9 cm. The coloring of the wings is cherry brown, black below, with a yellow-white margin and a submarginal row of dark blue spots; at the apex of each wing are two large yellowish-white spots. The mourning cloak is distributed in the temperate zone of the northern hemisphere. It is found from late July until autumn in deciduous (mainly birch) forests. It deposits its eggs in spring, after wintering. The caterpillars are black with tiny yellow dots and a row of red spots on the back. They are covered with branching thornlike outgrowths. The caterpillars feed on leaves of birch and willow and sometimes of other trees.

mourning cloak

mourning cloak

mourning cloak

mourn′ing cloak`

Mourning Cloak

Mourning Cloak

mourning cloak

Synonyms for mourning cloak

noun of temperate regions

Synonyms

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