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 25 - 48 of 6891 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 14, 2024
Submitted by: Matt-k
Region: Allegan County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 31, 2024
Observation date: Jul 30, 2024
Submitted by: Lydiaak
Region: Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 31, 2024
Observation date: Jun 14, 2024
Submitted by: Blue Swallowtail
Region: Adams County, Nebraska, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jul 29, 2024
Observation date: Jul 27, 2024
Submitted by: joanfiller
Region: Tompkins County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 28, 2024
Observation date: Jul 25, 2024
Submitted by: ButterBelle
Region: Knox County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Jul 25, 2024
Observation date: Jul 25, 2024
Submitted by: tiki33wv
Region: Wood County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 25, 2024
Observation date: Jul 22, 2024
Submitted by: barney62
Region: Dane County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 23, 2024
Observation date: Jul 21, 2024
Submitted by: Colleen K
Region: Robertson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Jul 21, 2024
Observation date: Jul 20, 2024
Submitted by: gjkoppel
Region: Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 20, 2024
Observation date: Jul 17, 2024
Submitted by: Bob Jacobson
Region: Chippewa County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 19, 2024
Observation date: Jun 28, 2024
Submitted by: chirpus
Region: Albany County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 14, 2024
Observation date: Jul 12, 2024
Submitted by: drmarc60223
Region: Trempealeau County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 13, 2024
Observation date: Jul 08, 2024
Submitted by: pauhana
Region: Davidson County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 08, 2024
Observation date: Jul 07, 2024
Submitted by: RLS
Region: Livingston County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 07, 2024
Observation date: Jul 03, 2024
Submitted by: Benjamin Miller
Region: Knox County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 05, 2024
Observation date: Jul 04, 2024
Submitted by: Dennis Forsythe
Region: Charleston County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Jul 05, 2024
Observation date: Jun 27, 2024
Submitted by: cncman
Region: Harris County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 04, 2024
Observation date: Jul 03, 2024
Submitted by: cncman
Region: Harris County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 04, 2024
Observation date: Jun 23, 2024
Submitted by: Bob Jacobson
Region: Chippewa County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 02, 2024
Observation date: Jul 02, 2024
Submitted by: Christinalea
Region: Texas, Wichita County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jul 02, 2024
Observation date: Jul 01, 2024
Submitted by: rapids
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 02, 2024
Observation date: Jun 30, 2024
Submitted by: rocksnstars
Region: Oxford County, Maine, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jun 30, 2024
Observation date: Jun 10, 2024
Submitted by: DebraRade
Region: Lake County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 28, 2024
Observation date: Jun 19, 2024
Submitted by: vogelbild
Region: DuPage County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 21, 2024
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