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Polygonia interrogationis
As an adult butterfly, the Question Mark seeks out rotting fruit, tree sap, dung, or carrion as food sources. Only when these are unavailable do Question Marks visit flowers for nectar. They live in wooded areas and city parks, or generally in areas which feature trees and free spaces.
This species has been found in southern Canada and all of the eastern United States except peninsular Florida, west to the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains, south to southern Arizona and Mexico. Seen at Mason Farm Biological Preserve.
This butterfly was feeding off the same black snake carcass as the insects in my carrion beetle spotting.
Spotted on May 4, 2012
Submitted on May 6, 2012
1 Comment
Thanks, matimar1. It is not a silly question at all! Wikipedia says that the name comes from the silver mark on the underside of the hindwing. It is broken into two parts, a curved line and a dot, creating a ?-shaped mark that gives the species its common name. You can see it in the middle of the lower wing in the last photo.