Polygonia interrogationis

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eurytides
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Polygonia interrogationis

Post by eurytides »

Not rare in my area, but also not usually seen in large numbers. I caught a female nectaring in my yard and sleeved it over nettle. She laid eggs on both the plant and sleeve. I was able to raise a series of 8 individuals. Males on the left and females on the right, all ex pupa.
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Chuck
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Re: Polygonia interrogationis

Post by Chuck »

These are one of the first butterflies seen in spring, after overwintering as adults. They are extremely wary that time of year!

And since birds like them, they're often missing large sections of wing, so the depicted specimens are wonderful. Strange that the depth of the blue in the tails doesn't really show in photographs.
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Re: Polygonia interrogationis

Post by eurytides »

I am not sure if it’s lightning, resolution, or both. When I emailed the iPhone picture to myself, I had the option of sending the file as small, medium, or large and the largest file I could save but still upload is just over 100kb…so, not great.
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Re: Polygonia interrogationis

Post by Trehopr1 »

Wonderful specimens again !

Well done... 👍🎉

Have you managed to get any of the winter form ?
This is the one which emerges in the late summer or early fall and overwinters as an adult.

The black of the hind wings is non-existent except, for some black spots with extensive orange replacing the black coloration of the summer form. The Violet coloration outlining the hindwings is also more extensive and tends to be brighter than that of the summer form.

Hence, for a time in older literature it was commonly called the Violet-tip.

I have always had a much harder time encountering the winter form as opposed to the summer form of this butterfly !
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Re: Polygonia interrogationis

Post by eurytides »

These eggs were laid in summer and this should have been the winter generation. However, when raised indoors, I think the temperature and light still resulted in the summer form.
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mothman55
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Re: Polygonia interrogationis

Post by mothman55 »

I get the fall form on my catocala bait along with comma and Comptons./Users/haldonly/Desktop/PXL_20221118_193829583.MP.jpg
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Re: Polygonia interrogationis

Post by mothman55 »

PXL_20221118_193829583.MP.jpg
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Re: Polygonia interrogationis

Post by Trehopr1 »

Oh yeah !

Now that's what I'm talking about. That's the real deal; the BEST of the forms to catch !

I envy you having so many because I've only got 2 to my name but, if I desired I could have probably filled a drawer
(stacked) by now with the summer form.

Location, location, location....
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Re: Polygonia interrogationis

Post by Trehopr1 »

Of particular note is how extensive the violet edging is in the winter form. Not only does it cover most or all of the hindwings but, it covers much or even all of the forewing edging (on some specimens).

Really, just one of the best butterflies to be had in North America.
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daveuk
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Re: Polygonia interrogationis

Post by daveuk »

I have these pairs of both forms from Canada. I particularly like the violet wing edges of this species.
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Re: Polygonia interrogationis

Post by Trehopr1 »

In my general area the "winter form" of this butterfly is very
seldom seen or encountered. Not surprisingly, the summer form
seems to abound and most specimens I've ever seen (May thru Sept.)
have always been just that.

However, in yet other places seeing or even capturing the bolder
"winter form" is not quite so hard. About 3 years ago, I had a specimen
exchange with one of our fine members (mothman27). Just prior to
our trade (in discussion) he mentioned that he was able to get the
winter form readily in Sept. (in his area) of Indiana. I requested that
he capture me what he could and we would then have a trade. Over the
coarse of some 3 weeks (Tim L.) was able to nail me 20 specimens.

I finally worked them all up about a year ago and wound up with 18 total.
Some of the subtle diffrences present between specimens showed and
this was only possible by having a "series" of specimens to view.

Below, I offer just a few of those subtleties I noticed in my series; and
it remains something that I never gave much thought to because I could
never find or catch enough of the form.

Image

Image

Size Diffrences: Female (left), Male (right)

Image

My heartfelt thanks goes out to my friend (mothman27 / Tim L.) for
all his gracious help in capturing the nice "wild caught" series of
Polygonia interrogationis which I now have and treasure !
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Re: Polygonia interrogationis

Post by adamcotton »

It's a pity that the 'purple' wing edges look grey in the photos. If that is actually purple they must look spectacular in reality.

Adam.
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Re: Polygonia interrogationis

Post by Trehopr1 »

Sorry that my pictures do not convey the splendid "violet-purple" edging for which this species is known.

Originally, the common name of this butterfly was the "Violet- tip". This name may be seen in some of our older literature here in the US however, at some point the common name Question Mark seems to have replaced it.

Although, the butterfly does have a small silvery (?) symbol on it's verso side hindwings I feel that the Violet tip name is more appropriate since they really pop in the sunshine and it really is the thing you notice the most about this butterfly.

So, yes it is a striking butterfly for those purple edges but, it takes proper lighting or sunshine to really make them pop in a photograph !
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Re: Polygonia interrogationis

Post by boghaunter1 »

Following are a male & a female winter fm. Violet Tip from central NE Saskatchewan, CANADA. Note photos have been very slightly edited (contrast & tint) to bring out the purple edges on the wings...

Violet Tip M - 2012.jpg
Violet Tip M - 2012.jpg (192.69 KiB) Viewed 984 times
Violet Tip  2012 - F. 2012.jpg
Violet Tip 2012 - F. 2012.jpg (178.25 KiB) Viewed 984 times

According to Ronald Hooper's book, "Butterflies Of Sask.", this is a very rare sp. in SK. The 1st record was from Indian Head, SK on 05 Sept.1935; the 2nd record was a sight record only, from Glen Ewen, SK on 10 July 1970. Both locations are in far SE SK.. Hooper's book is quite old (1973) & newer records, besides mine, may now exist...

An amusing little side story here... one day in mid July 2012 I opened my front door & there sitting quietly in my porch, only 3 ft. away, was one of my cats looking very proudly back at me... with a live butterfly trapped under one of it's front paws! I carefully extricated the struggling butterfly & to my absolute delight recognized it was a Violet Tip/Question Mark. This was the first time I had ever, (been collecting since 1976), in my lifetime, encountered this species... &... I have never seen it again to the present time! From my location I continued collecting additional (fresh) specimens from mid July to the end of August 2012. I collected 2 additional specimens less than 25 ft. from my front door! Obviously, it was a rare, one time, northern, temporary expansion of it's range here in SK.. As I think Chuck said, this sp. is very wary & was extremely difficult to "sneak up" on.... either resting on the ground (several were caught mudpuddling) or resting on the sides of tree trunks, fence posts, or even one I somehow managed to snag on a power pole about 7 ft. up! During that 6 week period from mid July to the end of August 2012 I collected 14 specimens in total (including the cat's initial capture!). I also observed, but couldn't collect... again too wary... an equal number++ of this rare invasion of Violet Tips. I actually like the dark winged fm. more, but have never encountered it here in SK.... I have a few specimens of it from Ontario though.

John K. 8-)
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Re: Polygonia interrogationis

Post by Trehopr1 »

Wow, those are really great pictures John !
They do the species justice; unlike mine....
Thank you for showing us the species in a far better light so to speak.
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Paul K
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Re: Polygonia interrogationis

Post by Paul K »

It is not common species here in southern Ontario.
I only manage to collect one! Unfortunately 2012 I had paused collecting.
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Re: Polygonia interrogationis

Post by mothman55 »

They are difficult to catch, but I find I have much better success with a catocala bait trap. Here is a picture I took behind our house of a live one, the purple outline shows up pretty well.
DSCF9723 copy.jpg
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Re: Polygonia interrogationis

Post by adamcotton »

mothman55 wrote: Sun Apr 30, 2023 7:18 pm the purple outline shows up pretty well.
Wow, yes I can see the purple in this photo, that looks superb.

Adam.
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