• Butterflies
• Dragonflies
• Damselflies
• Tiger beetles
• Hike with Mike

• The butterflies:
• Brushfooted Butterflies
  • Snouts
  • Heliconians and Fritillaries
  • True Brushfoots
  • Admirals and Relatives
  • Leafwings
  • Emperors
  • Satyrs
  • Monarchs
• True Brushfoots
  • Gorgone Checkerspot
  • Silvery Checkerspot
  • Harris’ Checkerspot
  • Pearl Crescent
  • Northern Crescent
  • Tawny Crescent
  • Baltimore Checkerspot
  • Question Mark
  • Eastern Comma
  • Satyr Comma
  • Green Comma
  • Gray Comma
  • Compton Tortoiseshell
  • California Tortoiseshell
  • Mourning Cloak
  • Milbert’s Tortoiseshell
  • American Lady
  • Painted Lady
  • Red Admiral
  • Common Buckeye

Eastern Comma

(Polygonia comma)

The Eastern Comma is the most common of the commas and is found throughout the state. Adults of this species hibernate and appear on warm sunny days in the spring even when there is still snow present. After a long winter it is a real pleasure to see these butterflies flying around. Notice the individual in Hike with Mike , that looks pretty fresh for having gone through a long Wisconsin winter!

Identifying characteristics: Above, this species is very similar to the other commas, with a lot of orange, dark wing margins, and various black spots. The innermost dot of the forewing dot row, the one closest to the body, often has a noticeable faint double above it and occasionally is very obvious as in the last three photos. There is a distinct dark spot in the middle of the hindwing. This species does have two different forms, very similar to the Question Mark, where the summer form is much darker on the hindwing. Below, this species is usually heavily banded with light and dark regions, but sometimes with nearly uniform color as in the Question Mark, and a very prominent comma that is heavier and most typically has barbs on both ends as in the third phot. Almost all illustrations or photos of this species in field guides are similar to this photo.

Similar species: Above, this species could easily be mistaken for any of the other commas. The innermost dot on the forewing dot row in the Eastern Comma usually has a very faint mark above it. This mark is usually missing in the Gray Comma, and usually much darker in the Green Comma and the Satyr Comma . On the hindwing there is, even in the darker summer form, a definite row of lighter spots. This is also present on the Green Comma, but not on the Satyr Comma, which has a lighter continuous band there. There is a dark spot in the middle of the hindwing that is lacking in the Gray Comma. Below the comma is thicker and barbed at the ends, and somewhat similar to the Green Comma, but the Green Comma also has a green submarginal band on the fore and hind wings that distinguish that species.

Habitat: A woodland species that is most often seen along woodland edges and trails.

Flight: Two broods, very similarly timed to the broods of the Question Mark. I often see this species come out of hibernation on warm days in late March and in early April. The summer brood is present from late June through July while the winter brood usually flies in August through October.

Abundance: The most abundant comma in Wisconsin, but don’t expect to see more than ten in a single day. These butterflies are usually seen singly along woodland trails. Learn to keep your eyes and binoculars peeled to the road ahead of you as you walk through the woods. Sunny openings are often the most productive.

Recent Eastern Comma Sightings

Date seen	County	Reported by
Yesterday	Portage	Wayne Anderson
07–13–2008	Green	Craig Ellefson
07–11–2008	Milwaukee	Judith Huf
07–09–2008	Crawford	Mike Reese
07–08–2008	Waushara	Mike Reese
07–08–2008	Sauk	Andy Paulios
07–07–2008	Marinette	Adrian Konell
07–07–2008	Marinette	Adrian Konell
07–04–2008	Iowa	Ann Thering and Dave Eide
07–01–2008	Milwaukee	Judith Huf
06–30–2008	Dane	Ann Thering

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