4/9/2026 - Mourning Cloak, West Newbury, MA

[Paul Seaman]

I was very happy to see a Mourning Cloak this afternoon (4/9/2026) at the Ordway Reservation in West Newbury. The Red Maples and Willows here are finally begin to swell and unfurl their buds, and other early season plant life is beginning to return, slowly but surely. It's nice to see after a long winter. 

So far this year, I have also seen seven species of moths that have come to a UV light + white sheet at my yard in Ipswich. I tried this setup three times so far, on several nights where it was around 40 degrees, 3/3/26, 3/30/26, and 4/3/26, but it has been unsurprisingly slow so far this season compared to the warmer months. 

4/7/26 - Webbing Clothes Moth (Tineola bisselliella)

4/3/26 - Shagbark Hickory Leafroller Moth (Pseudexentera cressoniana)

4/3/26 - Diamondback Moth (Plutella xylostella)

3/30/26, 4/3/26 - Morrison's Sallow (Eupsilia morrisoni)

3/30/26 - Speckled Green Fruitworm Moth (Orthosia hibisci)

3/30/26 - Brown Pinion (Lithophane hemina)

3/30/26 - Lithophane sp.

3/3/26 - Straight-toothed Sallow (Eupsilia vinulenta) 

Paul Seaman

Ipswich, Massachusetts