Butterflies and mothsIn Wayne County, Ohio

Question Mark

Polygonia interrogationis (Fabricius, 1798)

Question Mark in all of Ohio
Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis)
(c) Paul Prappas, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Paul Prappas · CC BY-NC 4.0 (opens in a new tab) · iNaturalist (opens in a new tab)
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Arthropoda
Class
Insecta
Near Wayne County

Range

Where it is recorded

Season shown in 4 of Ohio's 88 counties. Explore Ohio

  • No result yet (12)
  • Recorded, too few records for a result (58)
  • Recorded, season not shown (14)
  • Season shown (4)
Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Cartographic Boundary Files, 1:500,000. Show as a table
Counties as a table
Question Mark by Ohio county: records and mapped range
CountyRecords
Adams CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Allen CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Ashland CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Ashtabula CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Athens CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Auglaize CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Belmont CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Brown CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Butler County25 · Recorded, season not shown
Carroll CountyNo qualifying records yet
Champaign County20 · Recorded, season not shown
Clark County24 · Season shown
Clermont County24 · Recorded, season not shown
Clinton CountyNo qualifying records yet
Columbiana CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Coshocton CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Crawford CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Cuyahoga County65 · Season shown
Darke CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Defiance CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Delaware County37 · Recorded, season not shown
Erie County21 · Recorded, season not shown
Fairfield CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Fayette CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Franklin County115 · Season shown
Fulton CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Gallia CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Geauga CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Greene County66 · Recorded, season not shown
Guernsey CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Hamilton County83 · Recorded, season not shown
Hancock CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Hardin CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Harrison CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Henry CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Highland CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Hocking CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Holmes CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Huron CountyNo qualifying records yet
Jackson CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Jefferson CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Knox County21 · Recorded, season not shown
Lake CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Lawrence CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Licking County28 · Recorded, season not shown
Logan CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Lorain CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Lucas County42 · Recorded, season not shown
Madison CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Mahoning CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Marion CountyNo qualifying records yet
Medina CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Meigs CountyNo qualifying records yet
Mercer CountyNo qualifying records yet
Miami CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Monroe CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Montgomery County62 · Recorded, season not shown
Morgan CountyNo qualifying records yet
Morrow CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Muskingum CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Noble CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Ottawa County22 · Season shown
Paulding CountyNo qualifying records yet
Perry CountyNo qualifying records yet
Pickaway CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Pike CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Portage CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Preble CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Putnam CountyNo qualifying records yet
Richland CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Ross CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Sandusky CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Scioto CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Seneca CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Shelby CountyNo qualifying records yet
Stark County42 · Recorded, season not shown
Summit County57 · Recorded, season not shown
Trumbull CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Tuscarawas CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Union CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Van Wert CountyNo qualifying records yet
Vinton CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Warren CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Washington CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Wayne County25 · Recorded, season not shown
Williams CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Wood CountyRecorded, too few records for a result
Wyandot CountyRecorded, too few records for a result

No mapped range from the range source used, the USGS Gap Analysis Project, which maps land vertebrates only.

Season

When it is recorded

In Wayne County

Not enough evidence

The weeks are still too uncertain to show a season. Based on 25 records in 8 of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025, above the minimum of 20 records from 5 different years.
Show over the bars
Recording in Wayne County · records of all species each week, 15,874 in all

Records per week from 25 records in 8 of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025. Shows when people recorded it, not a season or how common it is.

Show as a table
Records of Question Mark in Wayne County each week, and records of all species
WeekRecords of Question MarkYears recordedRecords of all species
Jan 4–100052
Jan 11–170027
Jan 18–240013
Jan 25–310035
Feb 1–70052
Feb 8–140052
Feb 15–210035
Feb 22–280067
Mar 1–70083
Mar 8–140089
Mar 15–2100127
Mar 22–2800138
Mar 29 – Apr 400190
Apr 5–1100265
Apr 12–1800352
Apr 19–2500307
Apr 26 – May 200350
May 3–900301
May 10–1600449
May 17–2300365
May 24–3011468
May 31 – Jun 600455
Jun 7–1300274
Jun 14–2000366
Jun 21–2711441
Jun 28 – Jul 400569
Jul 5–1111639
Jul 12–1843649
Jul 19–2522722
Jul 26 – Aug 122603
Aug 2–842582
Aug 9–1543786
Aug 16–2221406
Aug 23–2922741
Aug 30 – Sep 500772
Sep 6–1200588
Sep 13–1900696
Sep 20–2600409
Sep 27 – Oct 321520
Oct 4–1000441
Oct 11–1700287
Oct 18–2400218
Oct 25–3100165
Nov 1–700190
Nov 8–1400134
Nov 15–210068
Nov 22–280058
Nov 29 – Dec 50044
Dec 6–120020
Dec 13–190031
Dec 20–260029
Dec 27 – Jan 200154

Reported as an adult

No adult season shown here. The weeks are still too uncertain to show a season.

Reported as a caterpillar

Only 1 records here are marked as caterpillars, too few to show a caterpillar season. One needs at least 20 records from 5 different years.

In Ohio

Early May to late September, middle week Jul 19–25

Show over the bars
Recording in Ohio · records of all species each week, 1,691,199 in all

Records per week from 1,607 records in 10 of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025. Shows when people recorded it, not how common it is. The grey bars show how many records of all species were made here each week, so you can see when recording itself was high or low; the season is not adjusted by them.

Recorded on 801 dates. Latest record: October 2025.

Show as a table
Records of Question Mark in Ohio each week, and records of all species
WeekRecords of Question MarkYears recordedRecords of all species
Jan 4–10006,211
Jan 11–17005,146
Jan 18–24004,645
Jan 25–31004,698
Feb 1–7006,023
Feb 8–14115,888
Feb 15–21005,436
Feb 22–28006,846
Mar 1–7008,321
Mar 8–140010,384
Mar 15–211112,620
Mar 22–282113,949
Mar 29 – Apr 42119,661
Apr 5–115326,860
Apr 12–189539,925
Apr 19–2510741,623
Apr 26 – May 29456,391
May 3–922452,952
May 10–1630653,785
May 17–2331457,698
May 24–3066854,651
May 31 – Jun 648953,099
Jun 7–13711053,700
Jun 14–20681056,625
Jun 21–2776955,361
Jun 28 – Jul 4961058,477
Jul 5–11118961,336
Jul 12–1892864,722
Jul 19–25971069,753
Jul 26 – Aug 1108959,416
Aug 2–8981059,712
Aug 9–15791055,994
Aug 16–2255954,328
Aug 23–2973951,772
Aug 30 – Sep 549957,167
Sep 6–12701059,075
Sep 13–19771054,543
Sep 20–2650945,860
Sep 27 – Oct 343943,180
Oct 4–1018637,841
Oct 11–1716830,824
Oct 18–248421,156
Oct 25–312119,021
Nov 1–73214,172
Nov 8–141112,621
Nov 15–21117,965
Nov 22–28118,136
Nov 29 – Dec 5116,083
Dec 6–12006,004
Dec 13–19005,423
Dec 20–26005,661
Dec 27 – Jan 2008,459

Reported as an adult

Usually reported as an adult early May to late September, middle week Jul 19–25.

From 1,474 records that are marked as adults. Not every photo is marked with a life stage, so this shows when people reported it as an adult, not when adults are about.

Reported as a caterpillar

No caterpillar season shown here. Recorded in two separate seasons, so one season would put its middle week in the gap.

What these results show

These results show when people recorded a species, not when or where it occurs. Missing weeks and low counts do not mean absence or scarcity, and counts are not abundance. Contributed records reflect where, when and what people chose to observe.

Relatives

In the same genus

Other Polygonia recorded in Wayne County

Identification

How to identify it

Telling it apart

From what Ohio’s records show. Only what the records support is shown.

Often confused with

  • Eastern Comma Polygonia commaOften confused in Ohio: 122 identifications in Ohio named one where the other was meant
  • Tawny Emperor Asterocampa clyton18 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant
  • Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta15 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant
  • Mourning Cloak Nymphalis antiopa14 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant
  • Common Buckeye Junonia coenia12 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant

From iNaturalist’s similar-species counts, refreshed monthly: confusions in Ohio first, then worldwide. Only species with an Ohio result are listed.

Months not reported

  1. Jan: no record
  2. Feb: recorded
  3. Mar: recorded
  4. Apr: recorded
  5. May: recorded
  6. Jun: recorded
  7. Jul: recorded
  8. Aug: recorded
  9. Sep: recorded
  10. Oct: recorded
  11. Nov: recorded
  12. Dec: recorded

Not reported in Ohio in January, 2016 to 2025.

Land cover where it is recorded

Land coverIts recordsAll Ohio records
Developed45%49%
Forest27%31%
Farmland18%11%
Wetland7%5%
Grassland and shrub2%0.9%
Open water1%3%
Barren0.6%0.6%

From 802 records placed within 100 m, beside all Ohio records placed the same way. People record where they go, so this shows where records come from, not where the species lives. Land cover: USGS Annual NLCD, 2025 (opens in a new tab)

Sources

Where these results come from

  • Records from iNaturalist research-grade observations and expert-identified GBIF datasets, CC0, CC BY and CC BY-NC. Sources
  • Seasons use the published method and its evidence thresholds. Methods
  • See it on iNaturalist (opens in a new tab)OpenPhenology is independent and not affiliated with iNaturalist.

Records behind the Ohio result

1,607 records from 2 datasets.

To cite: the GBIF download doi:10.15468/dl.y2jkt8 (opens in a new tab).

A spreadsheet (CSV) with a link to each record, on iNaturalist or GBIF. Records whose location was hidden by the observer or the source are counted but not linked.