Hello October!
For this ‘new month’ greeting, I chose the autumn-colored Question Mark Butterfly ... Happy October everyone!
(Behind on my comments again, hope to 'get there' soon :-)
About Eastern Comma & Question Mark Butterflies
Members of the brush-footed family, the Eastern Comma and Question Mark are also known as anglewings because of their angular wing shape. When their wings are closed they are camouflaged to look like dried leaves and remain well-hidden. Adults hibernate over winter, some staying in the north, many migrating to the south, making them long-lived for a butterfly; they top off at about eight months. Because their blood contains a sort of butterfly “anti-freeze,” glycerol, these butterflies can withstand very cold weather.
They get their name from a silver mark located on the underside of their hindwing. The Question Mark butterfly has a mark that looks like a question mark turned on its side, while the Eastern Comma has a sideways comma. Since I did not see the hindwings, I’m basing my ID on the number of spots on the front wings. When viewed from the top, the Eastern Comma Butterfly has three dark spots in a row on each of its front wings and the Question Mark butterfly has four, like this one.
When open, the edge of the Question Mark butterfly’s wings is outlined in a beautiful lavender color. The upperside hindwing of summer form which flies from May to September is mostly black with a short tail; that of winter form, adults which appear in late August from eggs laid by the summer form, has much orange and a longer, violet-tipped tail.
Hello October!
For this ‘new month’ greeting, I chose the autumn-colored Question Mark Butterfly ... Happy October everyone!
(Behind on my comments again, hope to 'get there' soon :-)
About Eastern Comma & Question Mark Butterflies
Members of the brush-footed family, the Eastern Comma and Question Mark are also known as anglewings because of their angular wing shape. When their wings are closed they are camouflaged to look like dried leaves and remain well-hidden. Adults hibernate over winter, some staying in the north, many migrating to the south, making them long-lived for a butterfly; they top off at about eight months. Because their blood contains a sort of butterfly “anti-freeze,” glycerol, these butterflies can withstand very cold weather.
They get their name from a silver mark located on the underside of their hindwing. The Question Mark butterfly has a mark that looks like a question mark turned on its side, while the Eastern Comma has a sideways comma. Since I did not see the hindwings, I’m basing my ID on the number of spots on the front wings. When viewed from the top, the Eastern Comma Butterfly has three dark spots in a row on each of its front wings and the Question Mark butterfly has four, like this one.
When open, the edge of the Question Mark butterfly’s wings is outlined in a beautiful lavender color. The upperside hindwing of summer form which flies from May to September is mostly black with a short tail; that of winter form, adults which appear in late August from eggs laid by the summer form, has much orange and a longer, violet-tipped tail.