Polygonia progne
Size:
Wingspan is
1 5/8 - 2 1/2 inches.
Similar Species:
Question Mark
Eastern Comma
Green Comma (very rare)
Habitat:
Deciduous woodlands, gravel roads, trails and woodland openings usually
at elevations of over 4000 foot in the mountains.
Range/Abundance:
Rare in the western
mountains of NC, northern mountains of VA and eastern mountains of WV.
Not recorded in SC.
Flight Period:
Adults fly from mid June until September in two broods which are most
active during summer and fall.
Larval Host Plants:
Gooseberry Ribes rotundifolia
Comments:
Gray Commas are slower fliers than the other anglewings. In NC look for
it above 4000 foot, yet in VA I have found it at 1600 foot and higher
elevations.
Gray Comma will readily visit dung, tree sap and rotting fruit. Only occasionally will it visit flowers. I once found it on Dogbane Apocynum cannabinum at Peaks of Otter in VA.
These photos were taken in Rockbridge Co., VA on June 24, 2001.
