Question Mark

Polygonia interrogationis

The Question Mark butterfly is a colorful insect with a unique shape. It has orange and brown wings with a special mark that looks like a question mark on the underside.

Habitat: Forests

Appearance

The Question Mark is a medium-sized butterfly with deeply jagged, irregular wing edges. Its upper wings are orange-brown with dark spots, while the undersides are dull brown, resembling dead leaves. A distinctive silver comma-shaped mark, sometimes broken, on the underside of its hindwing gives it its name.

KingdomAnimaliaPhylumArthropodaClassInsectaOrderLepidopteraFamilyNymphalidaeGenusPolygonia

Question Mark

Interesting facts

Wow! Its ragged wing edges make it look exactly like a torn, brown leaf!

Wow! The tiny silver symbol on its underwing really looks like a question mark!

Wow! They love to drink juice from mushy, rotting fruit!

Wow! This butterfly can hibernate through winter as a grown-up!

Special abilities

Question Mark has jagged wings and dull undersides that help them blend perfectly with dead leaves or tree bark.

Question Mark can survive cold winters by hibernating as an adult, allowing them to emerge early in spring.

Question Mark can sip tree sap and rotting fruit, providing them with essential sugars when nectar is scarce.

Measurements & details

Wingspan: 45-76 mm
Size: 20-30 mm
Lifespan: 30-240 days
Flight Speed: 15 km/h
Leg Count: 6

Diet & Feeding

Adults sip tree sap and rotting fruit, while caterpillars munch on plant leaves.

Age differences: Caterpillars eat leaves of host plants, while adults primarily feed on tree sap and rotting fruit.

Primary Foods

Tree sap
Rotting fruit
Flower nectar
Elm leaves
Hackberry leaves
Nettle leaves

Foraging Method

Foraging

Ecological connections

eats

American Elm

Ulmus americana

Caterpillars feed on its leaves as a primary host.

eats

Common Hackberry

Celtis occidentalis

Another important host plant for its caterpillars.

eats

Stinging Nettle

Urtica dioica

Caterpillars also consume its foliage.

eaten by

Blue Jay

Cyanocitta cristata

A common bird that preys on adult butterflies.

Traits

Camouflaged

Camouflaged describes organisms that possess coloring or patterns that allow them to blend into their environment.

Colorful

Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.

Herbivorous

This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material.

Pollinator Magnet

Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.

Forest

Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life.

Hibernating

Hibernating animals enter a state of metabolic depression during cold periods or when food is scarce, characterized by reduced body temperature and activity.