Lepidoptera: Family Family Nymphalidae Subfamily Nymphalinae (Anglewings, Tortoiseshells) Next: Page 7
Polygonia interrogationis Question Mark. Hosts: members of the elm family (Ulmaceae) including American elm and red elm, Ulmus; hackberry, Celtis; and members of the nettle family (Urticaceae) including false nettle, Boehmeria; hop, Humulus; nettle, Urtica. Adult food: prefers carrion, dung, rotting fruit, and tree sap. Habitat: city parks, fencerows, suburbs, wooded areas with some open space. Females lay eggs singly or stacked under non-host leaves, caterpillars must search for host, hibernates as adult, some stay in north, others migrate south, males perch to locate females. The silver mark on the underside of the hindwing is broken into two parts, a curved line and a dot, creating a ?-shaped mark that gives the species its common name.

Polygonia comma Comma. Hosts: members of the elm family (Ulmaceae) including American elm, Ulmus; hackberry, Celtis; and members of the nettle family (Urticaceae) including false nettle, Boehmeria; nettle, Urtica; wood nettle, Laportea. Adult food: rotting fruit, tree sap, and nectar of butterfly bush, Buddleia; dandelion, Taraxacum. Habitat: deciduous woodlands, woods near rivers, marshes, swamps, near other water sources. Females lay eggs singly or in stacks on underside of host leaves or stems, hibernates as adults, some migrate south, males perch to locate females.