Question Mark
Polygonia interrogationis (Fabricius, 1798)
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Nymphalinae
Identification: Forewing hooked; upperside is red-orange with black spots. Upperside hindwing of summer form is mostly black with a short tail; that of winter form has much orange and a longer, violet-tipped tail. Underside is light brown; hindwing with pearly white question mark in center.
Wing Span: 2 1/4 - 3 inches (5.7 - 7.6 cm).
Life History: Males find females by perching on leaves or tree trunks in the afternoon, flying to chase other insects and even birds. Females lay eggs singly or stacked under leaves of plants that are usually not the hosts. Caterpillars must find a host plant; they then eat leaves and live alone. Adults of the winter form hibernate; some staying in the north, many migrating to the south.
Flight: Overwintered adults fly and lay eggs in the spring until the end of May. The summer form emerges and flies from May-September, laying eggs that develop into the winter form; these adults appear in late August and spend the winter in various shelters.
Caterpillar Hosts: American elm (Ulmus americanus), red elm (Ulmus rubra), hackberry (Celtis), Japanese hop (Humulus japonicus), nettles (Urtica), and false nettle (Boehmeria cylindrica).
Adult Food: Rotting fruit, tree sap, dung, carrion. Only when these are unavailable do Question Marks visit flowers such as common milkweed, aster, and sweet pepperbush.
Habitat: Wooded areas with some open space, city parks, suburbs, fencerows.
Range: Southern Canada and all of the eastern United States except peninsular Florida, west to the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains, south to southern Arizona and Mexico.
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.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 6935 verified sightings
Observation date: Oct 27, 2025
Submitted by: BT
Region: Texas, Jones County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Oct 27, 2025
Observation date: Aug 24, 2025
Submitted by: tnjbodker
Region: Anderson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 24, 2025
Observation date: Sep 02, 2025
Submitted by: Melinda Bell
Region: Sumner County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 24, 2025
Observation date: Sep 05, 2025
Submitted by: tnjbodker
Region: Wilson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 24, 2025
Observation date: Sep 07, 2025
Submitted by: Snellzy
Region: Davidson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Oct 24, 2025
Observation date: Oct 05, 2025
Submitted by: Cactuswren1976
Region: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Oct 11, 2025
Observation date: Aug 29, 2025
Submitted by: cbearskin
Region: Kay County, Oklahoma, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 30, 2025
Observation date: Sep 22, 2025
Submitted by: Mary Cooper
Region: Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Sep 22, 2025
Observation date: Sep 19, 2025
Submitted by: Gordon Berman
Region: Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Sep 20, 2025
Observation date: Sep 12, 2025
Submitted by: beverlynantz
Region: Harlan County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 15, 2025
Observation date: Sep 10, 2025
Submitted by: LittleWoodSatyr
Region: Defiance County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Sep 12, 2025
Observation date: May 04, 2024
Submitted by: hsmarshall
Region: Warren County, Mississippi, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Sep 10, 2025
Observation date: Sep 01, 2025
Submitted by: Cascade Colors
Region: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Sep 05, 2025
Observation date: Aug 23, 2025
Submitted by: leskokid
Region: Monroe County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 23, 2025
Observation date: Aug 16, 2025
Submitted by: Ozark_Bill
Region: Iron County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Ozark_Bill
Verified date: Aug 21, 2025
Observation date: Jul 19, 2025
Submitted by: actuallyamagpie
Region: Clermont County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 13, 2025
Observation date: Jul 19, 2025
Submitted by: actuallyamagpie
Region: Clermont County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 13, 2025
Observation date: Jul 19, 2025
Submitted by: actuallyamagpie
Region: Clermont County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 13, 2025
Observation date: Jul 19, 2025
Submitted by: actuallyamagpie
Region: Clermont County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 10, 2025
Observation date: Aug 06, 2025
Submitted by: Moth_Observer01
Region: Nelson County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Aug 10, 2025
Observation date: Aug 02, 2025
Submitted by: Jorie
Region: Fayette County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Aug 08, 2025
Observation date: Aug 03, 2025
Submitted by: scottj4hops
Region: Garrard County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Aug 05, 2025
Observation date: Jul 19, 2025
Submitted by: Lydiaak
Region: Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 03, 2025
Observation date: Jun 17, 2025
Submitted by: klamke
Region: Sioux County, Nebraska, United States
Verified by: Emily Geest
Verified date: Jul 31, 2025
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