The Question Mark is a striking orange and black butterfly with sharply angled wing margins and short tail-like projections. When the wings are open, the forewings display a bright orange background marked with dark spots, while the borders of all four wings are dusted with powdery white. The hindwings shift in appearance with the seasons, black in the summer form and orange in the winter form. With wings closed, the butterfly closely resembles a dead leaf, showcasing mottled brown and gray tones. A small, silvery curve paired with a dot on the underside of the hindwing gives this butterfly its name, mimicking a question mark.

 

“Question Mark Butterfly” by Henry T. McLin, licensed under (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

 

Question Mark Facts

Butterfly Family: Brush-footed Butterflies (Nymphalidae)

Butterfly Subfamily: Nymphalinae

Butterfly Wingspan: 2 1/4 – 3 inches

Butterfly Habitat: Wooded areas with some open space, city parks, suburbs, and fencerows.

 

🪴Host Plants

These are the plants where Question Mark females lay eggs and caterpillars feed:

• American Elm (Ulmus americana)

• False Nettle (Boehmeria cylindrica)

• Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis)

• Hops (Humulus spp.)

• Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica)

• Sugarberry (Celtis laevigata)

 

🌸 Feeding Behavior

Adults rarely visit flowers. They primarily feed on:

• Dung

• Moisture from damp soil and leaf litter

• Rotting fruit

• Sap flows

Their preference for sap, rotting fruit, and dung is due to their shaded woodland habitats, where flowers are less abundant.