A Gathering Of Butterflies

April 21st, 2012. Just south of GA-83, Starrs Road - the road from GA-83 through the Oconee National Forest into the Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge – jogs to the right before it continues south the NWR. (On Google Maps, the road on the left marked Starr Road is the road; the ‘road’ that looks like it continues directly from GA-83 is a power line right-of-way.) For some reason, butterflies are attracted to this specific section of road. Some gather here in large numbers. This day was no different. We found four different butterflies: an American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis), a Hackberry Emperor (Asterocampa celtis), and many Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis) and, a new butterfly for me, the American Snout (Libytheana carinenta)

American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis). We saw one American Lady also known as American Painted Lady or Painted Beauty.

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Hackberry Emperor (Asterocampa celtis). We don’t see Hackberry Emperors very often – although I’ve seen several this year - so it is always a treat to see this one.

Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis), wings open. By a rough count there were probably 20 to 30 of these. Of course, the challenge is to get a look at the underside of the wing to see if it’s a…

Question Mark or an Eastern Comma (Polygonia comma). Clearly this one is a Question Mark. And then there was the new kid on the block…

Next: American Snout (Libytheana carinenta)
Click on an image to view a closer image

Identification resources:
Michael Beohm, West Central Georgia Butterflies:
- Polygonia interrogationis (Question Mark)
- Vanessa virginiensis (American Lady)
- Asterocampa celtis (Hackberry Emperor)

BugGuide:
- Polygonia interrogationis (Question Mark): [Wings open] [Wings closed]
- Vanessa virginiensis (American Lady): [Wings open] [Wings closed]
- Asterocampa celtis (Hackberry Emperor): [Wings open] [Wings closed]

Related posts:
- April: Butterfly Afternoons At Scull Shoals
- Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor)

Butterfly: Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis)

A couple of weeks ago, I walked into a wooded section of the trail just over the bridge by the boat launch (segment 2) on my way to the dam. I’d come from bright daylight into the dark of the woods and my eyes hadn’t really adjusted. I was aware of some movement near my feet and dismissed it at first as falling leaves.

But when I finally looked down, there were 6 to 8 dark butterflies gathered on the trail. One flew out into the sunlight. It was apparent from its opened wings that it was either an Eastern Comma (Polygonia comma) or a Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis). In the woods, their wings were folded, but it was dark enough that it was impossible to see the tell-tale punctuation mark that would identify them. They weren’t eager to let me bend down of a close look so I resorted to flash-illuminated photos from a distance. When I downloaded the images I as able to identify them as Question Marks. After all, it’s all a question of punctuation: comma or question mark, isn’t it?

The butterfly with opened wings.

The butterfly with closed wings. The question mark is quite clear.

I've been back in the same wooded area a couple of time since. I’ve seen isolated individuals or pairs along in the woods along the trail.
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Identification resources:
West Central Georgia Butterflies, Michael Beohm:
- Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis)
- Eastern Comma (Polygonia comma)
Bug Guide:
- Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis)
- Dorsal view
- Lateral view
- Eastern Comma (Polygonia comma)
- Dorsal view
- Lateral view