Polygonia gracilis
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The hoary comma (Polygonia gracilis) is a species of butterfly, common in boreal North America from Alaska, across southern Canada to New England and the Maritime Provinces and south to New Mexico from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. The wings have a distinctive ragged edge.
Adult butterflies feed on tree sap and nectar from sweet everlasting (Gnaphalium) as well as other flowers. Caterpillars feed on shrub leaves including currant (Ribes), western azalea (Rhododendron occidentale) and mock azalea (Rhododendron menziesii).
The species survives the winter in the adult stage in diapause and mates and lay eggs in the spring. Butterflies emerge from their chrysalids in midsummer. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wrangell-St. Elias National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Jasper National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 9 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Yellowstone National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Hoary Comma sighting in Vancouver on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 278th most-seen of the 482 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Hoary Comma in Vancouver on a given day, against under 5% in June to April, the lowest months. That is one of Vancouver's driest months, with about 60 mm of rain against 210 mm in November.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Hoary Comma sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Hoary Comma sightings, Vancouver ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Denver (United States, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Hoary Comma is recorded against all the insects logged in Vancouver (12 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
