The hoary comma (''Polygonia gracilis'') is a species of
butterfly
Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group comprise ...
, common in
boreal North America from Alaska, across southern Canada to New England and the Maritime Provinces and south to New Mexico from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. The wings have a distinctive ragged edge.
Adult butterflies feed on tree sap and nectar from
sweet everlasting (''Gnaphalium'') as well as other flowers.
Caterpillars feed on shrub leaves including
currant (''Ribes''),
western azalea (''Rhododendron occidentale'') and
mock azalea (''Rhododendron menziesii'').
The species survives the winter in the adult stage in
diapause
In animal dormancy, diapause is the delay in development in response to regular and recurring periods of adverse environmental conditions.Tauber, M.J., Tauber, C.A., Masaki, S. (1986) ''Seasonal Adaptations of Insects''. Oxford University Press I ...
and mate and lay eggs in the spring. Butterflies emerge from their
chrysalids in midsummer.
References
External links
Hoary Comma Butterflies of Canada
Nymphalini
Butterflies of North America
Butterflies described in 1867
Taxa named by Augustus Radcliffe Grote
Taxa named by Coleman Townsend Robinson
{{Nymphalinae-stub