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 1 - 24 of 1093 verified sightings
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Observation date: Jul 06, 2024
Submitted by: Keith Myrom
Region: Mille Lacs County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 13, 2024
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Observation date: Jun 01, 2024
Submitted by: pgrew1@unl.edu
Region: Penobscot County, Maine, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jun 30, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/dsc_3337_1.jpeg?itok=c_yS-RR-)
Observation date: Jun 26, 2024
Submitted by: jmgesell
Region: Douglas County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jun 28, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/20240414-grey_comma_polygonia_progne-6.jpg?itok=W-7oR_de)
Observation date: Apr 14, 2024
Submitted by: billmaciejko
Region: Manitoba, Canada
Verified by: chalicerae
Verified date: Jun 11, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/dsc_8699.jpg?itok=BfUibyE-)
Observation date: Jun 07, 2024
Submitted by: hockeybruce7
Region: Monroe County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jun 07, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/untitled-8145.jpg?itok=WtOkh_oD)
Observation date: Sep 01, 2022
Submitted by: morthkid
Region: Custer County, South Dakota, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: May 28, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/_p4a9175.jpg?itok=6IozT7x5)
Observation date: May 20, 2024
Submitted by: vogelbild
Region: DuPage County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: May 20, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/dsc01043_4.jpg?itok=wolLRmXB)
Observation date: Apr 09, 2024
Submitted by: Sometimes
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Apr 10, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/pxl_20240401_165337416.jpg?itok=2WTNmado)
Observation date: Apr 01, 2024
Submitted by: CaraGB
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Apr 01, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/dsc_8765_0.jpg?itok=rgnQg9Yt)
Observation date: Mar 13, 2024
Submitted by: terrymortier
Region: Dunn County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Mar 14, 2024
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Observation date: Apr 13, 2023
Submitted by: terrymortier
Region: St. Croix County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Mar 06, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/grey_comma_polygonia_progne-1-1.jpg?itok=8xUUFNam)
Observation date: Jun 25, 2023
Submitted by: billmaciejko
Region: Manitoba, Canada
Verified by: chalicerae
Verified date: Jan 04, 2024
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/dscn7871_-_copy_2.jpg?itok=0NcRlYNG)
Observation date: Sep 19, 2023
Submitted by: Allison Barta
Region: Cass County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Sep 19, 2023
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Observation date: Oct 03, 2022
Submitted by: Dobber31
Region: Benton County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 17, 2023
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Observation date: Jul 11, 2023
Submitted by: hockeybruce7
Region: Monroe County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 12, 2023
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Observation date: Jul 11, 2023
Submitted by: rapids
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 11, 2023
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/img_7689.jpeg?itok=nE_EUfMm)
Observation date: Jul 04, 2023
Submitted by: Col
Region: Bradford County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 10, 2023
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/polygonia_progne_230706_hmft_dam_2_img_7762.jpg?itok=zMRoYhgT)
Observation date: Jul 06, 2023
Submitted by: Bob Jacobson
Region: Chippewa County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 10, 2023
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/dsc_2546.jpg?itok=KAxa_diQ)
Observation date: Jun 29, 2023
Submitted by: hockeybruce7
Region: Monroe County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jun 30, 2023
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/gray_comma_10.jpg?itok=ypEbjbxZ)
Observation date: May 21, 2023
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: elsner
Verified date: Jun 26, 2023
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Observation date: May 23, 2023
Submitted by: Sometimes
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: May 23, 2023
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/dsc_0932greycomma.jpg?itok=FqqZyTVV)
Observation date: Jul 15, 2022
Submitted by: rbuist
Region: Manitoba, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Feb 02, 2023
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/graycomma_2022-08-24_2.jpg?itok=c9OgFp3V)
Observation date: Aug 24, 2022
Submitted by: bshettler
Region: Manitoba, Canada
Verified by: chalicerae
Verified date: Nov 30, 2022
![](https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/sites/default/files/styles/bamona_scale_and_crop_640px_by_640px/public/bamona_images/hoarycomma22_002_1280x829.jpg?itok=8eKbk_EL)
Observation date: Aug 22, 2022
Submitted by: philsfotos1
Region: Livingston County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: elsner
Verified date: Sep 05, 2022
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