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
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 121 - 144 of 1111 verified sightings
Observation date: Jun 21, 2018
Submitted by: rhedden
Region: Rensselaer County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 21, 2018
Observation date: Jun 11, 2018
Submitted by: johngor
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 12, 2018
Observation date: May 07, 2018
Submitted by: monikawood
Region: Steuben County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: May 13, 2018
Observation date: Apr 27, 2018
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Calhoun County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Apr 28, 2018
Observation date: Sep 15, 2016
Submitted by: Christine Stanke
Region: Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Dec 29, 2017
Observation date: Jul 15, 2017
Submitted by: David M. Gascoigne
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Dec 27, 2017
Observation date: Jun 24, 2016
Submitted by: Kathy Brown
Region: Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Nov 25, 2017
Observation date: Oct 05, 2017
Submitted by: sseagrave
Region: Sheridan County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Oct 09, 2017
Observation date: Sep 13, 2017
Submitted by: BOGwalker
Region: St. Louis County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Oct 05, 2017
Observation date: Sep 19, 2017
Submitted by: Peggy O
Region: Taylor County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Oct 01, 2017
Observation date: Sep 10, 2017
Submitted by: BruceMissen
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Sep 11, 2017
Observation date: Aug 01, 2016
Submitted by: Christine Stanke
Region: Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Aug 31, 2017
Observation date: Jul 19, 2017
Submitted by: Sunrisegardener
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 11, 2017
Observation date: Aug 07, 2017
Submitted by: Marcia Goodrich
Region: Houghton County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 09, 2017
Observation date: Jul 29, 2017
Submitted by: Joe Bartok
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 29, 2017
Observation date: Jul 23, 2017
Submitted by: kirvie1
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 24, 2017
Observation date: Jul 16, 2017
Submitted by: JHummel
Region: New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 17, 2017
Observation date: Jun 16, 2017
Submitted by: Kzfisherman
Region: Mason County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: Doug Taron
Verified date: Jul 14, 2017
Observation date: Jul 04, 2017
Submitted by: pporonto
Region: Macomb County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 05, 2017
Observation date: Jul 03, 2017
Submitted by: burndust
Region: Indiana County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 05, 2017
Observation date: Jun 28, 2017
Submitted by: Doug Backlund
Region: Harding County, South Dakota, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jun 29, 2017
Observation date: May 02, 2017
Submitted by: bns
Region: Apache County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 12, 2017
Observation date: Jul 31, 2016
Submitted by: Christine Stanke
Region: Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: May 20, 2017
Observation date: Aug 28, 2016
Submitted by: wayne13114
Region: Oswego County, New York, United States
Verified by: wayne13114
Verified date: Dec 30, 2016
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