As winter slowly thaws into spring, there are buds, blooms, birds, and other new nature discoveries emerging every day! This month, you and your family can join us as we gear up for seasonal phenology – through observing and recording natural events like melting ice, new hatchings, flowing tree sap, new blossoms, and migratory arrivals. Visit […]
Eastern comma or question mark?![]()
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Don’t worry, this post isn’t about punctuation but about butterfly identification! ![]()
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Last week, outside, we spotted our first butterfly of the year! It was an exciting encounter to find this beautiful orange and black butterfly sipping on maple sap. Even more exciting, and quite surprising, was the fact the butterfly became nearly invisible when it closed its wings, whose mottled underside created a perfect camouflage effect on the tree. ![]()
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After quick research for identification, we fell into the grammar conundrum. Turns out, both the Eastern comma butterfly and the question mark butterfly look similar with marks on the underside of their hindwings that look like punctuation. The question mark butterfly has what appears to be a question mark turned on its side, while the Eastern comma has what appears to be a sideways comma. It’s a little hard to see but, according to our second picture, it looks like we found an Eastern comma butterfly!![]()
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Eastern comma butterflies (Polygonia comma) are fascinating! They are among the earliest butterflies to appear in the spring because they overwinter as adults. As adults, they rarely visit flowers and feed primarily on fermenting fruits, tree sap, animal droppings, and carrion. These butterflies are also seasonally dimorphic as summer adults may have dorsal hindwings that are completely dark, while the fall generation is richly colored. ![]()
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What signs of spring do you see? Visit us for a hike or take a walk around your neighborhood looking for cyclical events influenced by seasonal changes. ![]()
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Photos: Stephanie Briand, Aldo Leopold Nature Center![]()
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#PhenologyFriday #EasternCommaButterfly #WIEnviroEd #NatureIsEverywhere #NatureIsForEveryone #EveryBodyOutside
