Question Mark Butterflies Love My Neighbour's Apple Tree in Late Summer!
- Jeanne McRight
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
by Jeanne McRight
If you’ve noticed more Question Mark butterflies in Mississauga or southern Ontario lately, you’re not imagining it. These jagged-winged butterflies can appear suddenly in late summer when weather, habitat, and food sources line up in their favour.
Why my neighbour's old apple tree is a butterfly magnet
To my delight, my neighbour's old, unharvested apple tree overhanging my backyard fence creates exactly the buffet these butterflies prefer. Bruised apples ferment on the ground, cracked bark oozes sap, and the shaded trunk gives the butterflies a camouflaged place to rest. With their wings closed, question marks look remarkably like curled brown leaves, which helps them disappear against bark and leaf litter.
I keep looking carefully around the base of the tree or along sap flows on the trunk, hoping also to see other sap-loving species nearby, including eastern commas and mourning cloaks.
How to tell a question mark from an eastern comma
Question marks and eastern commas are close look-alikes. Both have ragged wing edges, warm orange upper wings, and dead-leaf camouflage underneath. The easiest way to separate them is to look for the “punctuation mark” on the underside of the hindwing.
Question mark: a silver curved mark plus a separate silver dot, creating a tiny “?” on the underside of the hindwing.
Eastern comma: a silver comma-shaped curve without the separate dot.
Top-side clue: Question marks usually show four dark spots in a row on the forewing, while eastern commas show three in the same area.
A Question mark butterfly’s wings may reach up to 3 inches wide, while an Eastern Comma’s wingspan can be as small as 1 3/4 inches.
Late summer sightings of question mark butterflies show that the the summer brood's hindwings are mostly black. These are the butterflies that will migrate south in September-October, although some do overwinter as adults in Southern Ontario.
Tips for photographing question mark butterflies
Because these butterflies become focused on feeding, you can often photograph them without getting too close. Move slowly, watch your shadow, and try a side profile when their wings are closed so you can capture the silvery question mark. If you’re using a phone, use optical zoom rather than pushing the camera right up to the insect.
Turn a backyard sighting into useful community science
Butterfly sightings are more valuable when they’re documented. If you photograph a question mark in Mississauga, consider uploading the observation to iNaturalist. A clear photo, date, and location can help naturalists and researchers track where yearly population spikes are happening.
How long will they stay active?
Question marks usually remain visible while warm days and food sources last. Around an apple tree, activity may continue into September if fallen fruit is still soft and daytime temperatures remain mild. As the season changes, most adults in Ontario will migrate, but some will seek sheltered places such as loose bark, hollow trees, crevices, and outbuildings.
How to attract them responsibly
If you want to watch them more closely, place a shallow dish of overripe fruit in a sunny, sheltered spot near trees. Soft banana, orange slices, or bruised apple pieces can work well. Keep the fruit damp, refresh it regularly, and avoid pesticides nearby.
Plant for the next question mark generation
Adult butterflies are only part of the story. To support future broods, think about caterpillar host plants. Question mark caterpillars feed on plants such as nettles, false nettle, elms, hops, and hackberry. In your yard, native plantings near trees and sheltered edges can help turn a passing visit into habitat.
Comments