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| Caterpillar |
Pupa |
Butterfly |
Our largest
Polygonia (wingspan: 45 to 68 mm), it can be distinguished on the
wing from the others by its size, its wing shape, and the long,
violet-edged hindwing tails. The silver mark on the underside of
the hindwing is broken into two parts, a curved line and a dot,
creating a ?-shaped mark that gives the species its common name.
The summer generation (form "umbrosa") is darker; the hindwing
upperside is almost black, and the underside is more heavily marked
than in the overwintering generation.
Abundance:
This can be a highly variable butterfly in terms of abundance; some
years they are very rare, while in years that are good for other
migrants they can be common.
Flight
Season: There are two generations per year with the adults
overwintering, but probably not in Canada. Even in southwestern
Ontario, the pale overwintering specimens are never seen until late
May (mid-June at Ottawa, late June in Manitoba). They fly until
early July. The second generation emerges in late July or early
August, and is seen until only mid-September. This contrasts with
the behaviour of the other Polygonia species, strongly suggesting a
southward migration in the fall, overwintering in the southern
U.S., and a return migration, occasionally in fairly large numbers,
in the late spring.
Habits:
Usually seen in or near woodlands, but in late summer in good
migrant years it can be found in almost any type of habitat, even
in downtown parks. It rarely feeds on flowers, but is often seen on
sap, mud, carrion, or animal droppings.
