Gray Comma
Polygonia progne (Cramer, 1775)
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Nymphalinae
Identification: Upperside is bright orange-brown; summer form has hindwing with a wide dark border, winter form has the border covering only about 1/4 of the wing; both enclosing a few small yellow spots. Underside is charcoal gray with fine dark striations; forewing with 3-4 light chevrons in a dark border. Silver mark in center of hindwing is small, slender, and L-shaped.
Wing Span: 1 5/8 - 2 /12 inches (4.4 - 6.3 cm).
Life History: In midafternoon, males perch on trees or shrubs at the edges of clearings to wait for females. Eggs are laid singly on leaves of host plants; the caterpillars feed underneath. Adults overwinter.
Flight: Two flights from hibernation, mates, and lays eggs which develop into the summer generation. Summer adults fly from June-August, laying eggs of the winter generation which appears in October and then hibernates.
Caterpillar Hosts: Gooseberries (Ribes) and azalea (Rhododendron).
Adult Food: Sap; rarely flower nectar.
Habitat: Along dirt roads, along streamsides, and within clearings in rich deciduous or confierous woods, in aspen parks, yards, and gardens. Often in hilly terrain or canyons.
Range: Northwest Territories and British Columbia south along Pacific coast to central California, southeast through Montana, Utah, Colorado, and the Dakotas to eastern Nebraska, central Kansas, and central Arkansas; east through southern Canada and the northern United States to Maine and the Maritimes; south in the Appalachians to North Carolina.
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. Note: The Gray Comma includes Polygonia oreas and its subspecies silenus and nigrozephyrus. These were previously treated as a separate species.
Comments: NULL
Please donate!
We depend on donations to keep Butterflies and Moths of North America freely available. We want to express our gratitude to all who showed their support by making a contribution this year. You can donate to support this project at any time.
Advertise with us!
Do you have a product or service that you think would interest BAMONA users? If you would like to advertise on this website, contact us by email, or use the contact form and select the "Advertising" category.
Verified Sightings
Displaying 97 - 120 of 1111 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 26, 2019
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Newaygo County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 30, 2019
Observation date: Jul 25, 2019
Submitted by: beastbreath
Region: Clinton County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 26, 2019
Observation date: Jul 17, 2019
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 21, 2019
Observation date: Jul 07, 2019
Submitted by: crjenkins
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 10, 2019
Observation date: Jun 28, 2019
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Oakland County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 29, 2019
Observation date: Nov 03, 2018
Submitted by: Ambersilk61
Region: Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jun 23, 2019
Observation date: Mar 17, 2019
Submitted by: CA Ivy
Region: Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Mar 21, 2019
Observation date: Jul 02, 2018
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: Columbia County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Mar 04, 2019
Observation date: Jun 20, 2018
Submitted by: kathybrown
Region: Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Feb 26, 2019
Observation date: Jun 21, 2018
Submitted by: rhedden
Region: Rensselaer County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Feb 21, 2019
Observation date: Aug 08, 2018
Submitted by: Christine Stanke
Region: Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Dec 24, 2018
Observation date: Dec 22, 2018
Submitted by: triciablich
Region: Wayne County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Dec 23, 2018
Observation date: Sep 13, 2017
Submitted by: gbw
Region: Carlton County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Dec 22, 2018
Observation date: Sep 04, 2018
Submitted by: Paul Prappas
Region: Fillmore County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Dec 22, 2018
Observation date: Jun 13, 2018
Submitted by: Leslie Warren
Region: Mahoning County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Dec 07, 2018
Observation date: Sep 01, 2018
Submitted by: LadyKimariah
Region: Alberta, Canada
Verified by: Norbert Kondla
Verified date: Nov 24, 2018
Observation date: Jul 28, 2018
Submitted by: Marcia Goodrich
Region: Houghton County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 30, 2018
Observation date: Jul 13, 2018
Submitted by: KS.trailwalker
Region: Anderson County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jul 20, 2018
Observation date: Jul 12, 2018
Submitted by: Jim Lowe
Region: Tompkins County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 19, 2018
Observation date: Jul 15, 2018
Submitted by: Colin Gillette
Region: Bradford County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 16, 2018
Observation date: Jul 08, 2018
Submitted by: davidboon
Region: Macomb County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 08, 2018
Observation date: Jun 25, 2018
Submitted by: beastbreath
Region: Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 05, 2018
Observation date: Jun 20, 2018
Submitted by: Tony DeSantis
Region: Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 03, 2018
Observation date: Jun 29, 2018
Submitted by: pporonto
Region: Macomb County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 30, 2018
- ‹ previous
- 5 of 47
- next ›