Polygonia progne

Geographic Range

Polygonia progne lives on the North American continent. It makes its habitat in the Northwestern Territories of the US and Eastern British Columbia. It ranges from the west along the Pacific Coast to central California. It can be found in the East through southern Canada, and the northern United States from Maine south to the Appalachians in North Carolina. It is also found in the southeast from Montana and the Dakotas to eastern Nebraska and central Kansas.

• Biogeographic Regions
• nearctic nearctic
  • native native

Habitat

These butterflies live mainly in woodland or mountainous areas. They are predominantly found in the Coastal Redwood Forest and the Hudsonian Zone Woodlands. They can be found along dirt roads, streamsides, and within clearings in rich deciduous or coniferous woods. Often these areas are in hilly terrain or canyons.

• Habitat Regions
• terrestrial terrestrial

• Terrestrial Biomes
• forest forest
• mountains mountains

Physical Description

Polygonia progne , like all insects, has six legs and a segmented body. Its front legs are hairy and brush-like and are used for cleaning its antennae. The undersides of its wings are a charcoal gray with fine dark striations. When its wings are raised, the butterfly looks like a dead leaf and is camouflaged from predators. The upperside of the wing is a bright orange-brown. Its hindwings have a wide dark border covering about 1/4 of the wing. The border encloses a few small yellow spots. The wingspan of this insect is approximately 50 mm.

• Other Physical Features
• ectothermic ectothermic
• heterothermic heterothermic
• bilateral symmetry bilateral symmetry

Development

The adult butterfly lays eggs on the leaves of gooseberries and azaleas. The eggs hatch into larval caterpillars. These caterpillars eat leaves, then build a cocoon and go into hibernation. The caterpillar emerges from hibernation as an adult butterfly.

• Development - Life Cycle
• metamorphosis metamorphosis

Reproduction

Grey comma butterflies are most often seen flying from April to May. It is during this time that adults are searching for mates. Males perch in the afternoon sun on shrubs and small trees, watching for females. When a female is spotted, the male forces it to land. Once the female has landed the male will flutter over her and try to mate. If the female lowers its wings the male will land on top of her and mate. If the female flies away or will not lower her wings the male will leave in search on a new mate. After fertilization occurs, the female will lay multiple eggs singly on the leaves of gooseberries and azaleas. The eggs hatch and produce caterpillars. These caterpillars eat leaves until they have stored enough food to survive their metamorphosis. They then encase themselves in cocoons and emerge in October as adult butterflies.

• Key Reproductive Features
• seasonal breeding seasonal breeding
• sexual sexual
• oviparous oviparous

Behavior

Grey commas emerge from their eggs as larval caterpillars. Caterpillars do nothing but feed on leaves until it has stored enough food for metamorphosis. A caterpillar then spins a cocoon and begins its metamorphosis. It emerges as a butterfly sometime around October. The butterfly feeds on tree sap and flower nectar for the next two to three weeks. It then finds a place to hibernate for the remainder of winter. Once winter is over the butterfly comes out of hibernation in search of food. In April and May the mating season begins and males spend their time in search of a mate. After mating the butterflies prepare for hibernation.

• Key Behaviors
• flies
• diurnal diurnal
• motile motile
• hibernation hibernation

Food Habits

While in its adult stage, grey commas feeds mainly on tree sap and flower nectar. They use a modified sucker tube (proboscis) as a mouth to suck up the juices of plants and trees. The butterfly uncoils its proboscis to drink its food and then curls the tube back up when it is not in use. In the larval stage, the caterpillar rarely travels from the plant where it is born, so it feeds mainly on the leaves of gooseberries and azaleas.

• Primary Diet
• herbivore herbivore
  • folivore folivore
  • nectarivore nectarivore

• Plant Foods
• leaves
• nectar
• sap or other plant fluids

Predation

When the wings are raised, and the undersides are exposed, the adult butterfly resembles a dead leaf.

• Anti-predator Adaptations
• cryptic cryptic

Ecosystem Roles

Adult butterflies are important pollinators, and caterpillars damage teh foliage of the plants they eat. These butterflies are also likely eaten by other organisms.

• Ecosystem Impact
• pollinates

Economic Importance for Humans: Positive

Butterflies are important pollinators. Also, butterfly watching has become a hobby for many nature lovers.

• Positive Impacts
• ecotourism ecotourism

Economic Importance for Humans: Negative

The larval stage of the Grey Comma butterfly eats the leaves off of gooseberries and azaleas, a behavior which can damage these plants if they become too abundant.

Conservation Status

Grey commas are currently widespread and abundant and therefore are not considered threatened.

Additional Links

Encyclopedia of Life

Contributors

Matthew Wund (editor), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.

Chris Power (author), Southwestern University, Stephanie Fabritius (editor), Southwestern University.

References

Arnett, R. 1985. American Insects . New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company.

Grzimek, 1972. Animal Life Encyclopedia vol.2 . New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company.

Klots, A. 1981. Living Insects of the World . New York: Doubleday & Company.

Miller, 1992. The Common Names of North American Butterflies . Washington: Smithsonian Institution.

Scott, 1986. The Butterflies of North America . Stanford: Stanford University Press.

Struttmann, J. 1997. "Butterflies of North America" (On-line). Accessed September 26, 2001 at http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/bflyusa/usa/212.htm .