View allAll Photos Tagged Polygonia+interrogationis
Late in the evening I found this question mark butterfly high in a hackberry tree.
Tarde por una tarde, se me encontró esta mariposa ninfa alta en un almez americano.
Series of an Eastern Comma Butterfly.
Adults: The wing spread of adults is 1.75 to 2.0 inches (Allen 1997). The eastern comma can be differentiated from the closely related questionmark (Polygonia interrogationis [Fabricius]) by the silvery comma in the middle of the hind wing (lacking the dot of the questionmark), its smaller size, less strongly hooked forewing margin, and shorter hind wing tail. As with the questionmark, there are two color forms that generally correlate with the "summer" and "winter" adult generations. The upper side of the hind wings is predominantly black in the summer form and mostly orange in the winter generation.
Taken yesterday at Canoe Meadows, Pittsfield, MA.
July 3, 2022
As I headed home yesterday after a day long hike, I decided to stop by the plum trees in hopes a butterfly might have joined the Eight-spotted Forester Moths...my wish came true as this beauty briefly touched down high in one tree...and my day was complete!
Question Marks often migrate south to hibernate over the winter and emerge when spring draws near!
Yesterday, September ended with exquisite pre-autumn weather, with early morning temps in the 50*s and reaching the low 70*s late in the day under sunny cloudless skies...the perfect day to hike the vast Upper Delta! I was happy to find three Question Mark caterpillars along with other cool things on my day long excursion...
Polygonia interrogationis is on my deck!
This is the winter form. It’s getting ready to overwinter and show up early in the spring.
Midtown Tulsa, OK
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The colors reminded me of the Creamsicle ice cream bars...
This butterfly was on an old building with thick, cracked paint, it just looked like a painting to me, kind of arty. :)
(I can't remember what kind of butterfly it is anymore, if someone knows, please let me know if you would)
Taken from about 20 feet away.
Question Mark Butterfly
Scientific Name: Polygonia interrogationis (Fabricius)
Polygonia interrogationis is on my deck!
This is the winter form. It’s getting ready to overwinter and show up early in the spring.
Midtown Tulsa, OK
Hoorah! This is a good news story. Comma (Polygonia c-album) has been bucking the generally dramatic downward trend of insects in the UK by increasing its population by 50%+ over the last four decades, most notably expanding its range northwards,
Seen here on Hawthorn, the white underwing marking and the scalloped wing edges are clearly visible. For those in North America, your new world equivalent is the Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis).
Photographed in the Dixon Gardens in Memphis, Tennessee.
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Good Stewards of Nature
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The wings become translucent when backlit by the sun and the dorsal (top of the wing) markings became visible on the venter (closed wing view). Remarkably, one can see both sides of the wing in this shot.
Series of an Eastern Comma Butterfly.
Adults: The wing spread of adults is 1.75 to 2.0 inches (Allen 1997). The eastern comma can be differentiated from the closely related questionmark (Polygonia interrogationis [Fabricius]) by the silvery comma in the middle of the hind wing (lacking the dot of the questionmark), its smaller size, less strongly hooked forewing margin, and shorter hind wing tail. As with the questionmark, there are two color forms that generally correlate with the "summer" and "winter" adult generations. The upper side of the hind wings is predominantly black in the summer form and mostly orange in the winter generation.
Taken yesterday at Canoe Meadows, Pittsfield, MA.
July 3, 2022
For this ‘new month’ greeting, I chose the autumn-colored Question Mark Butterfly ... Happy October everyone!
(Behind on my comments again, hope to 'get there' soon :-)
About Eastern Comma & Question Mark Butterflies
Members of the brush-footed family, the Eastern Comma and Question Mark are also known as anglewings because of their angular wing shape. When their wings are closed they are camouflaged to look like dried leaves and remain well-hidden. Adults hibernate over winter, some staying in the north, many migrating to the south, making them long-lived for a butterfly; they top off at about eight months. Because their blood contains a sort of butterfly “anti-freeze,” glycerol, these butterflies can withstand very cold weather.
They get their name from a silver mark located on the underside of their hindwing. The Question Mark butterfly has a mark that looks like a question mark turned on its side, while the Eastern Comma has a sideways comma. Since I did not see the hindwings, I’m basing my ID on the number of spots on the front wings. When viewed from the top, the Eastern Comma Butterfly has three dark spots in a row on each of its front wings and the Question Mark butterfly has four, like this one.
When open, the edge of the Question Mark butterfly’s wings is outlined in a beautiful lavender color. The upperside hindwing of summer form which flies from May to September is mostly black with a short tail; that of winter form, adults which appear in late August from eggs laid by the summer form, has much orange and a longer, violet-tipped tail.
Seasonally dimorphic, the fall form of this species with strong lavender edging and predominantly orange coloration on the dorsal hind wings will overwinter as an adult. It will be one of the earliest butterflies to fly in spring and may even be encountered on warm winter days in early February. This butterfly does not rely on floral nectar, but prefers to sip flowing tree sap, carrion and dung. Male butterflies love to puddle and are notoriously territorial meeting any intruder that enters their territory.
A freshly emerged summer form of Question Mark butterfly. This is the largest of the Polygonia (Comma) species from North America, multi-brooded with the larvae feeding on Nettle, Hop and Elm. Adults hibernate.
Thanks for your visit… Any comment you make on my photograph is greatly appreciated and encouraging! But please do not use this image without permission.
Another underwing shot of a very differently coloured, freshly emerged summer form of Question Mark butterfly. This is the largest of the Polygonia (Comma) species from North America, multi-brooded with the larvae feeding on Nettle, Hop and Elm. Adults hibernate.
Species in the genus Polygonia are referred to collectively as the anglewings. The genus name, Polygonia, is derived from the Greek word for "many angles" and refers to the outlines of the wings. The question mark, Polygonia interrogationis (Fabricius), is a common, medium-sized butterfly of wooded areas and suburbs that is often, but not always, associated with moist areas. With its wings folded, it resembles a dead leaf and is highly cryptic.
Thanks for your visit… Any comment you make on my photograph is greatly appreciated and encouraging! But please do not use this image without permission.
Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis) U.S. National Arboretum, Washington DC
Your wish is my command. On the last day of this unseasonably warm weather (74 Fahrenheit today dropping down to more seasonal 54 degrees tomorrow) I wished to see one more new butterfly species. Out of the blue, there was a fluttering and this beautiful Question Mark settled on a magnolia tree and was basking in the sun. Its wings backlit by the sun produced some uncommon images of this butterfly. In this ventral view (closed wing position), both the dorsal (top view) and ventral (bottom view) markings are visible.
The Question Mark has two seasonal colorations, the dark summer form and the colorful fall form with violet margins.
On the underside this species is cryptic allowing the butterfly to easily blend with tree bark and dry fallen leaves. (see my other shot with closed wings)
The first of the season! Photographed on freshly-bloomed Edgeworthia in the Dixon Gardens in Memphis, Tennessee.
Member of Nature’s Spirit
Good Stewards of Nature
The Question Mark is a North American nymphalid butterfly. They live in wooded areas and city parks, or generalQuestion Mark Butterfly (Polygonia Interrogationis) on Buddleialy in areas which feature trees and free spaces. The way their wings appear textured and coloured aids in camouflage by resembling a dead leaf. The adult butterfly has a wingspan of 4.5–7.6 cm (1.8–3.0 in). Its flight period is from May to September. The silver mark on the underside of the hindwing is broken into two parts, a curved line and a dot, creating a ?-shaped mark that gives the species its common name."
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This beauty flitted around one Plum tree for over 30 minutes before I could catch a decent angle on it...I was questioning my sanity for awhile! 😁
A small jumping spider holds tight to a question mark butterfly (Polygonia interrogationis) that it has captured and subdued. The spider is suspended from a single strand of silk attached to a branch overhead.