From our friends, the outdooredguys, comes a blog post about two butterfly species, the Eastern Comma and the Mourning Cloak, and how they literally “warm up” for spring. Based in the Waterloo/Cambridge Ontario area, the outdooredguys teach kids from grades 1 to 12 about nature at 4 day-use Outdoor and Environmental Education Centres. This post by Al takes a look at the fascinating life-cycle of two species of butterfly:

“… I went to the south-facing slopes to find two species of butterfly – the Eastern Comma and the Mourning Cloak. These two species overwinter as adults, spending several months tucked away in hollow logs, underneath loose bark, or finding spaces between tree roots. As spring arrives and the snow melts they emerge from winter hibernation and begin to feed. These are not nectar-feeders because few flowers are blooming at this time. Instead, they feed on sap to get their energy and mud or animal droppings to gain valuable minerals …”

Read the entire post here