Gray Comma

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

Anti-predator Adaptations: cryptic

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.

Average wingspan: 50 mm.

Other Physical Features: ectothermic ; heterothermic ; bilateral symmetry

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 Biomes: forest ; mountains

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 (Native )

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.

Plant Foods: leaves; nectar; sap or other plant fluids

Primary Diet: herbivore (Folivore , Nectarivore )

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

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

Positive Impacts: ecotourism

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

US Federal List: no special status

CITES: no special status

State of Michigan List: no special status

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

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.

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.

Breeding season: April to May

Key Reproductive Features: seasonal breeding ; sexual ; oviparous

Polygonia progne is resident in much of southern Canada and the northeastern United States, and is migratory in some parts of its range. There is also a western subspecies (Scott 1986). Habitats are woodlands. Host plants are shrubs and include species mostly restricted to three families, Grossulariaceae, Ericaceae, and Betulaceae. Eggs are laid on the host plant leaves. Individuals overwinter as adults. There are variable numbers of flights each year based on latitude, with one flight in late July in the northern part of their range and higher mountains, and two flights in the southern part of their range with approximate times June 15-July15, and late Aug. (Scott 1986).

Not of concern.

One brood per year, appearing in early spring (April to May) and again in August to October.

This species is at home in the boreal forest, from the southern Yukon and the Mackenzie Valley of the Northwest Territories southeast across Canada to Newfoundland, south to North Carolina and Kansas (Layberry et al. 1998).

"This is one of three commas with a dark, two-toned underside; distinguished from the Hoary Comma (P. gracilis) by the submarginal hindwing spots, which are clearly outlined and stand out against a solid dark border in progne, but are diffuse in gracilis. Greys lack the prominent patches of white wing fringes found in the Oreas Comma (P. oreas), which give the wing margin a more jagged appearance. The wing upperside of progne is also brighter orange with smaller black spots compared to oreas. There are no described subspecies, although some authors consider the Oreas Comma (P. oreas) as a subspecies of the Grey. Both forms, however, occur together in parts of Alberta and British Columbia without apparent interbreeding (Bird et al. 1995, Guppy & Shepard 2001). "

Primarily a forest species, found in openings in moist mixed-wood areas.

"The light green eggs have seven vertical ribs that project above the top, and are laid singly on the hostplant; they hatch within 8 or 9 days (Bird et al. 1995). The mature larvae are tan-coloured with black and paler brown oblique stripes across the back. They bear the branched spines typical of this genus, and these can be black, yellow or white. The pupae are mottled pinkish brown and green (Guppy & Shepard 2001). Like other commas, adults emerge in late summer, are active until fall, then enter hibernation in sheltered areas such as hollow logs and buildings. They emerge from hibernation in the first warm days of early spring. "

The larvae reportedly feed primarily on gooseberry and currant (Ribes spp.) (Layberry et al. 1998). Adults feed on tree sap flows (Guppy & Shepard 2001).

Polygonia progne, the gray comma or grey comma, is a species of Polygonia that occurs in North America.