August 31, 2008 - Gray Comma Butterfly, Large-flowered Trillium, Yellow Water Lily

This is a Gray Comma butterfly. I found it in our yard and, even though it is apparently quite wide spread here in the North Woods, it is the first one I have seen. Butterflies in our area have to find a way to cope with our winters. Each species makes it through the winter in one of the four stages of their life (egg, caterpillar, pupa, or adult). The Gray Comma overwinters as an adult, often finding shelter in wood piles or outbuildings.

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Many butterflies look very different depending on whether you are looking at the top or the bottom of their wings. The Gray Comma is a good example of this. Here you see the underside of the wings and it is dramatically different than the top side (photo above). This view makes the butterfly look like a dried up leaf and provides it with great camouflage. Toward the middle of the wing you see a small, white line. This is the “comma” from which the butterfly gets its name.

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The Large-flowered Trillium provides a carpet of white in wooded areas of Northern Minnesota during late spring/early summer. The petals of the flower are 2-3” long and turn pink as they age. It is the provincial flower of Ontario, Canada.

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We have both Yellow and White Water Lilies growing in our lake. The yellow ones are less showy than the white ones. This is as far open as the flower gets. But the insects seem to like it and the leaves provide food for moose and beavers.

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