2010 was a good year for all of the commas (or anglewing or playfully described as a punctuation butterfly) in both Minnesota and Wisconsin. The Gray comma appeared on the meadows late in the summer.

One of the anglewing butterflies, these guys can be hard to tell apart. All of the Crex punctuation butterflies are very similar when viewing top wing. Roaming around the net looking for information on the Gray comma, I came across many Eastern commas who were marked as the Gray comma and even one Green comma. For my own butterfly sightings, I see many more commas than I am able to positively ID, either because they are too worn, or they fly away before giving me an underwing view. You will often see comments on Wisconsin butterflies where a report includes "saw some punctuation butterflies but cant tell them apart".

Identification Tips

From the top view, the Gray comma is similar to the Eastern Comma on Crex Meadows at first sight.

- No shadowspot on the top forewing like the Eastern comma (not 100% reliable).
- Two dark brown spots on top hindwing (occasionally varies in Eastern comma).
- The underwing checkmark is thin, pointed on each end (not hooked like the Eastern comma) and often described as "L" shaped.

The underside view of the Gray comma is unique and should not be confused with any other commas/polygonia in Wisconsin.

The Comma/Polygonia butterflies in Wisconsin are very similar and can be challenging to identify at times. Upper and lower wing shots of the same butterfly are very helpful. For Wisconsin, the most common is the Eastern Comma, followed by the Question mark. The Gray comma is the 3rd most common.