Imagine, right now in the cold of winter, there are adult Mourning Cloak Butterflies (Nymphalis antiopa) hunkering down waiting for spring. Hunkering down in cracks in rocks, under loose tree bark, in tree cavities. They manage to do this in a state of torpor, which is similar to hibernation.

As spring arrives, this butterfly’s task is to produce a new generation. This one job being taken care of, they die.

This knowledge gives me great appreciation for the Mourning Cloaks I see in spring, summer, and autumn on the road as I hike up my mountain.

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