Attributes of Polygonia comma
Eastern Comma
Polygonia comma (Harris, 1842)
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Nymphalinae
Identification: Small with short hindwing projections. Forewing above is brownish-orange with dark spots; one dark spot at center of bottom edge. Hindwing above has two patterns: summer form is mostly black, winter form is orange with black spots; both have a dark border containing pale spots. Underside is brown; hindwing with a central silver or white comma which is swollen at both ends.
Wing Span: 1 3/4 - 2 1/2 inches (4.5 - 6.4 cm).
Life History: Males perch on leaves or tree trunks to watch for females, flying aggressively to chase other insects or even birds. Eggs are laid singly or in stacks under host plant leaves or stems. Caterpillars are usually solitary and feed on leaves at night. Older caterpillars make daytime shelters by pulling leaf edges together with silk. Winter form adults hibernate, some first migrating to the south.
Flight: Overwintered adults fly and lay eggs in the spring until the end of April. The summer form emerges and flies from May-September, laying eggs that develop into the winter form. These adults appear in September or October and soon seek shelter in which to overwinter.
Caterpillar Hosts: All members of the elm and nettle families including American elm (Ulmus americana), hops (Humulus), nettle (Urtica), false nettle (Boehmeria cylindrica), and wood nettle (Laportea canadensis).
Adult Food: Rotting fruit and tree sap.
Habitat: Deciduous woodlands; woods near rivers, marshes, swamps, and other water sources.
Range: Eastern half of the United States east of the Rocky Mountains from southern Canada to central Texas and the Gulf Coast.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
Taxonomy Notes:
Images of Polygonia comma
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The map below displays all verified sighting records in the BAMONA database for this species. Each record is indicated with a yellow dot. The orange dots on the map provide access to information about the 400 most recently verified sightings of this species. In some instances, there are several records at the same location. Use the table view to access these records.
Instructions: Click on the map and move your mouse to pan.
Zoom by using the plus [+] and minus [-] on the left side of the map.
To change which map layers are displayed, click on the plus sign [+] on the right side of the map.
The fifty most recently verified sightings are below. See more recently verified sightings of all species.
| Observation Date | Submitter | Region |
Verified Date |
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May 10, 2013 | Ken Cheeks | Aiken County, South Carolina, United States | May 19, 2013 | Details |
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April 02, 2013 | MarkScottsmltd | Fannin County, Georgia, United States | May 13, 2013 | Details |
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March 30, 2013 | treichard | Prince Georges County, Maryland, United States | May 10, 2013 | Details |
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April 14, 2013 | treichard | Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States | May 10, 2013 | Details |
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April 28, 2013 | BeaLaporte | Ontario, Canada | April 29, 2013 | Details |
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April 15, 2013 | Doug Bruce | Hardin County, Tennessee, United States | April 23, 2013 | Details |
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April 09, 2013 | Nymphalis antiopa | Cumberland County, Virginia, United States | April 13, 2013 | Details |
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April 01, 2013 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | April 03, 2013 | Details |
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March 30, 2013 | curtis.lehman | Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, United States | March 31, 2013 | Details |
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March 15, 2013 | CA Ivy | Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States | March 25, 2013 | Details |
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July 02, 2012 | Rick Henle | Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States | March 11, 2013 | Details |
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July 05, 2012 | Rick Henle | Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States | March 11, 2013 | Details |
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July 06, 2012 | Rick Henle | Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States | March 11, 2013 | Details |
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February 15, 2013 | aut2bhomeincarolina | Clarendon County, South Carolina, United States | February 15, 2013 | Details |
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July 08, 2012 | K Stilwell | Buchanan County, Virginia, United States | February 04, 2013 | Details |
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October 18, 2012 | Fyn Kynd | Waldo County, Maine, United States | February 03, 2013 | Details |
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July 09, 2011 | dpgbfly1 | Mille Lacs County, Minnesota, United States | January 06, 2013 | Details |
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June 22, 2009 | dpgbfly1 | Sherburne County, Minnesota, United States | January 06, 2013 | Details |
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September 02, 2010 | LinRandolph | Lake County, Ohio, United States | January 06, 2013 | Details |
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August 16, 2008 | dpgbfly1 | Ramsey County, Minnesota, United States | January 01, 2013 | Details |
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August 17, 2012 | cyric | Washington County, Rhode Island, United States | December 17, 2012 | Details |
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October 20, 2009 | Bob Bouman | Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States | December 05, 2012 | Details |
| April 07, 2012 | legacy.reporter (Kazuo Inagaki) | Bibb County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| April 15, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Colbert County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| May 06, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Colbert County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| May 10, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | DeKalb County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| May 12, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | DeKalb County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| May 19, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Bibb County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| May 20, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Shelby County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| May 20, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Jefferson County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| May 27, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Colbert County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| June 15, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Colbert County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
| October 07, 2012 | vitaly charny (Vitaly Charny) | Colbert County, Alabama, United States | December 01, 2012 | Details | |
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May 10, 2011 | Teri Nye | Fulton County, Georgia, United States | November 27, 2012 | Details |
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August 20, 2012 | katawma | Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States | November 09, 2012 | Details |
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April 14, 2011 | mrcnaturally | Westchester County, New York, United States | October 14, 2012 | Details |
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June 29, 2012 | Rick Henle | Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States | September 29, 2012 | Details |
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September 24, 2012 | Molanic | Du Page County, Illinois, United States | September 24, 2012 | Details |
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September 09, 2012 | born_standin_up_n_talkin_back | Ontario, Canada | September 14, 2012 | Details |
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September 01, 2012 | prairie fairie | Otter Tail County, Minnesota, United States | September 08, 2012 | Details |
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June 12, 2009 | Bob Bouman | Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States | August 21, 2012 | Details |
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October 16, 2011 | Pierre Howard | Meriwether County, Georgia, United States | August 17, 2012 | Details |
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August 09, 2012 | klavierabend | Orange County, New York, United States | August 10, 2012 | Details |
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July 24, 2012 | LBruce | Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States | July 31, 2012 | Details |
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July 29, 2012 | dncms | Knox County, Ohio, United States | July 29, 2012 | Details |
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June 01, 2012 | LuckyLogan | Plymouth County, Iowa, United States | July 22, 2012 | Details |
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July 21, 2012 | WendyJG | Winnebago County, Illinois, United States | July 22, 2012 | Details |
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June 18, 2010 | cheins | Blue Earth County, Minnesota, United States | July 21, 2012 | Details |
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June 12, 2012 | janeth13 | Lake County, Illinois, United States | July 19, 2012 | Details |
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July 15, 2012 | aarongunnar | Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States | July 18, 2012 | Details |
