Question Mark

The question mark butterfly is a true brushfoot butterfly. They are a part of the Genus Polygonia which is more commonly called the comma or punctuation mark butterflies. That is because each species of the Polygonia Genus has a conspicuous white or silver mark on the underside of the hind wing that resembles a punctuation mark. The mark on the question mark butterfly is broken into two parts, an arc and a dot, which makes it appear like a question mark. Question marks are found through out the eastern United States and into northeastern Canada. They usually feed on things such as dung, rotten fruit, tree sap and carrion but will drink nectar, as in the photo above, if their usual foods are not available. They are usually seen from late May to September but may be seen earlier or later in some of the warmer portions of their range.

That Is The Question.

In the subfamily Nymphalinae of the family Nymphalidae are a group of butterflies that are named after punctuation marks. The reason for their names is because each butterfly has an noticeable mark on the underside of their hind wing that resembles a punctuation mark. Most of these marks are some what "C" shaped and kind of resemble a comma and so most of them are a variety of comma butterfly, but this one is a little different. The dot under the comma gives the appearance of a question mark and so that is what this butterfly is called.
Question mark butterflies are found in the eastern half of North America from the East Coast all the way to the edge of the Rocky Mountains and from southern Canada down to the Gulf Coast and into Mexico. The question mark is a butterfly that is usually found in wooded areas. The larva, caterpillar, eat the leaves of Hackberry, Nettles, American elm, red elm and other trees. The adults typically feed on tree sap, rotten fruit, dung, and carrion. When they can not find one of their usual food sources then they will eat nectar from flowers like the one in these photos.