You will! I am so jealous--I see them around, but have never found caterpillars or seen a female laying eggs. Enjoy your find! Congrats!

The only time I've ever seen mourning cloak cats, they were literally everywhere. A little population explosion. Went back to the same spot on the same weekend two years later and could not find any.

I've experience the same situation with a lot of insects. There are times when I would have preferred to have missed the population explosion.

Oh wow!! How fabulous!!

Sherry

Unfortunately, many get parasitized. I love Mourning Cloaks. What butterfly don't I love. Even those cabbage whites grow on you when there is nothing else to watch.

How nice! Mourning cloaks are such quietly elegant butterflies. The are so skittish though, it can be difficult to capture them with photographs. They visit my garden on occasion, but I don't believe there are any host plants available for them here. Hope you will share more photos as they develop.

How large is your willow? At another property, some years ago, I planted a young Salix 'Tortuosa' that eventually reached 35 feet. Cool plant. I still miss having one, but they are almost never offered at nurseries here. Probably a good thing, since my yard is very small.

Gosh Tucker, that is supremely cool!!! I have surely never seen that sight. I think that I would faint dead away. Lucky you. Congrats and good luck!~~Angie

They use more host trees than willow. This is from the FAQ section.

Mourning Cloak
- Willow family, salicaceae
- Cottonwood family, populus
- Elm family, ulmus
1. Salix matsudana - corkscrew willow