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 49 - 72 of 6895 verified sightings
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
Observation date: Jul 14, 2023
Submitted by: joeschelling
Region: Quay County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jun 20, 2024
Observation date: Jun 16, 2024
Submitted by: ButterBelle
Region: Putnam County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Jun 18, 2024
Observation date: Apr 30, 2024
Submitted by: beastbreath
Region: Ingham County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: elsner
Verified date: Jun 10, 2024
Observation date: Jun 09, 2024
Submitted by: tbeltt
Region: Chisago County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jun 10, 2024
Observation date: May 25, 2024
Submitted by: Blue Swallowtail
Region: Adams County, Nebraska, United States
Verified by: Emily Geest
Verified date: Jun 03, 2024
Observation date: May 31, 2024
Submitted by: Christinalea
Region: Texas, Wichita County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 31, 2024
Observation date: May 22, 2024
Submitted by: Christinalea
Region: Texas, Wichita County, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 23, 2024
Observation date: Jul 16, 2023
Submitted by: chherrmann
Region: Page County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 22, 2024
Observation date: Jul 08, 2022
Submitted by: c4c
Region: Botetourt County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 22, 2024
Observation date: May 19, 2024
Submitted by: sasd
Region: Bexar County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 20, 2024
Observation date: May 03, 2024
Submitted by: bekkfree
Region: Cowley County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: May 19, 2024
Observation date: May 01, 2024
Submitted by: jthompson6112
Region: Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: May 14, 2024
Observation date: May 10, 2024
Submitted by: mtobin11
Region: Lake County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: May 13, 2024
Observation date: May 10, 2024
Submitted by: pkmcp
Region: Brown County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 10, 2024
Observation date: Apr 25, 2024
Submitted by: Gramma Winnie
Region: Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Apr 26, 2024
Observation date: Jun 03, 2021
Submitted by: tiki33wv
Region: Champaign County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Apr 07, 2024
Observation date: Mar 20, 2024
Submitted by: seemayer
Region: Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Apr 01, 2024
Observation date: Aug 09, 2023
Submitted by: terrymortier
Region: Dunn County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Mar 08, 2024
Observation date: Jan 31, 2024
Submitted by: neflodonata
Region: Levy County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jan 31, 2024
Observation date: Jan 25, 2024
Submitted by: polylepis
Region: Galveston County, Texas, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jan 29, 2024
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