Satyr Comma
Polygonia satyrus
Satyr Anglewing
Description 1 3/4-2" (44-51 mm). Wing margins ragged. Bright tawny-golden above with black blotches. HW above lacks strong dark margin, having only band of golden spots narrowly lined with brown. Beneath, male bright yellow-tan marked with tiny dots and striations; female brown, slightly violet-tinged, darker on basal half. Silver comma mark in HW below clubbed or hooked.
Similar Species Comma has dark, spotted margin above; Satyr paler and tannish below. Other western anglewings are gray beneath.
Life Cycle Caterpillar has greenish-white stripe and chevrons on back, branched spines along blackish segments; feeds on stinging nettles (Urtica), drawing leaf edges around itself for shelter. Chrysalis tan, angled; hangs from tree trunks or stones. Adult overwinters.
Flight 2 or more broods; early spring-late autumn.
Habitat Wooded canyons, streamsides, and canals; also foothills, northern forest edges, and wooded city parks.
Range British Columbia to Newfoundland in S. Canada; in U.S. from the Pacific to eastern edge of Rockies, south to Mexico.
Discussion Most anglewings look rust-orange as they flash by; the Satyr is golden. Its broods are not so strikingly different from each other as are those of the Question Mark and the Comma. The Satyr roughly replaces the Comma as the common anglewing of the West; it is not entirely clear just how the 2 species relate in eastern Canada. The Satyr Anglewing is not to be confused with the satyrs of the family Satyridae; fanciful lepidopterists dubbed them both satyrs because they inhabit woodland glades. Other mythological rustic deities are commemorated in this group of anglewings, including Faunus, Zephyr, and Oreas, as well as the nymphs, for whom the family Nymphalidae is named.
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