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 481 - 504 of 6970 verified sightings
Observation date: Apr 20, 2020
Submitted by: astrojr1
Region: Collin County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jan 28, 2021
Observation date: May 02, 2020
Submitted by: loyallonghorn
Region: Fort Bend County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jan 27, 2021
Observation date: May 14, 2020
Submitted by: loyallonghorn
Region: Fort Bend County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jan 27, 2021
Observation date: Aug 13, 2019
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Ingham County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jan 21, 2021
Observation date: Aug 04, 2017
Submitted by: lmmasson
Region: Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jan 13, 2021
Observation date: Oct 24, 2019
Submitted by: pmpastuszak
Region: Nantucket County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jan 11, 2021
Observation date: Sep 09, 2019
Submitted by: ian pepper
Region: Essex County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jan 11, 2021
Observation date: Jul 25, 2019
Submitted by: a-o
Region: Essex County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jan 11, 2021
Observation date: Jul 21, 2019
Submitted by: billmac
Region: Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jan 11, 2021
Observation date: Jul 21, 2019
Submitted by: bowerr31x
Region: Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jan 10, 2021
Observation date: Jun 12, 2019
Submitted by: ian pepper
Region: Essex County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jan 10, 2021
Observation date: Jun 07, 2019
Submitted by: ian pepper
Region: Essex County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jan 09, 2021
Observation date: Jun 04, 2019
Submitted by: Arabella S Dane
Region: Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jan 09, 2021
Observation date: May 31, 2019
Submitted by: LivObs
Region: Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jan 09, 2021
Observation date: May 31, 2019
Submitted by: LivObs
Region: Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jan 09, 2021
Observation date: Aug 31, 2017
Submitted by: John LeBlanc
Region: Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 08, 2021
Observation date: Sep 08, 2017
Submitted by: Steven Wilson
Region: Patrick County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 08, 2021
Observation date: Oct 01, 2017
Submitted by: Jim_Gant777
Region: Prince William County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 08, 2021
Observation date: Oct 19, 2017
Submitted by: markbrown
Region: Northampton County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 08, 2021
Observation date: Oct 18, 2017
Submitted by: Glambabie
Region: Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 08, 2021
Observation date: May 11, 2019
Submitted by: ian pepper
Region: Essex County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jan 08, 2021
Observation date: May 24, 2018
Submitted by: plawryniuk
Region: Newport News, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 07, 2021
Observation date: Jun 26, 2018
Submitted by: larryheine@gmail.com
Region: Rockingham County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 07, 2021
Observation date: Jun 12, 2018
Submitted by: Dougsquires
Region: Portsmouth, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Jan 07, 2021
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