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Gray Comma
Butterfly - Polygonia progne
Superfamily
Papilionoidea / Family Nymphalidae (brush-footed butterflies) / Subfamily
Nymphalinae / Tribe Nymphalini - "Leaf Butterflies"
The commas are some of the most
cooperative and "friendly" butterflies I've encountered. They will buzz you
and perch on you if you hold still in the sunshine where they are
patrolling. If they land on your bare skin, don't be startled if they stick
you with their proboscis - it's like being poked gently with a tiny, sharp
twig.
Live adult butterflies photographed in the wild, unposed at Winfield
Mounds Forest Preserve, Winfield IL USA. |
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Gray
Comma Butterfly - Polygonia progne |
Commas are part of
an association of butterflies commonly known as "anglewings," which
have sharply angled wings. When folded at rest, the undersides
resemble dead leaves or pieces of bark. This group includes
anglewings, tortoiseshells, commas, question marks, leafwings,
snouts and daggerwings.
Commas have always been, to me, the "friendliest" of the butterflies.
They will frequently buzz you, and often alight on your clothing if
you are standing in the sun in their favorite forest clearing.
Commas seem quite social, and will dance with each other, rapidly
twisting and turning about each other, spiraling up into and above
the forest canopy, and out of sight - but will return to the current
sunny perch in a matter of a minute or so. My Audubon guide says
they are wary and retreat to the woods to hide "if challenged." I
don't exactly know how one goes about challenging a butterfly, but
I'm finding the Audubon guide to be somewhat goofy in its
descriptions of butterfly behavior. Its almost as if the authors
never actually observed the butterflies they are describing. (Their
common names are pretty off-the-wall, too. The only place you'll
ever see their "common" names are in their guides.
Similar species:
Question Mark had pronounced tails; other anglewings extremely
similar.
Life Cycle: Eggs pale green, ribbed, laid in
stacks of 2 - 9. Caterpillar 1" light green with spines along
length. Chyrsalis brown with gold spots., curved, irregular shape.
Hops and nettles are preferred host plants. Adults overwinter. 2
broods in north, more south.
Habitat: Deciduous woods, forest clearings and edges, open
woodlands.
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The Eastern Comma's comma
usually has hooks at both ends
Habitat: Look for them in
deciduous woods, along trails and on the sunny edges of clearings.
They often fly in pairs, rapidly dancing up into the forest canopy.
Since the adults overwinter, these are some of the earliest spring
butterflies, taking wing at the first few warm days, about mid-March
here, near Chicago. They feed primarily on tree sap in the early
spring. If you can find wounded trees dripping sap, you'll find both
gray and eastern commas as well as mourning cloaks. |
Overwintered Specimen April 1, 2003
Feeding on tree sap -
note wing damage. |
Nectaring on tree sap - a tachinid fly
is using this food
source, too. |
Basking in the afternoon sun.
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