Hi Terry,

What great photos you got, how lucky to have it landing on your hand.  Just 
like you said I too am finding  ID'ing  Commas somewhat challenging and 
would welcome others input. I'll leave you with this to think about from 
page 183 of Butterflies of the East Coast about IDing the Green Comma 
"Virtually all marking are variable, both geographically and within 
populations" not much help there!
 As for the image of the ventral view that I posted looking through the 
plastic jar lid doesn't show the green color that could be seen on the 
forward wing  margins which lead me to the Green Comma ID.  But your point 
is a good one and it could be a Eastern Comma but I think we'll never know 
the answer to that question. The good thing in all this is that the next 
time I find one of these Comma's I will look allot harder at the marking and 
photograph them well before letting it go. And for what it worth I looked at 
your photos and thought Hoary Comma, because of the gray wing fringe and the 
ruffled wing shape. The ventral view shows a pattern bellow the comma hw 
that I couldn't find on the Green,Gray or Eastern Commas looking in 
Butterflies of the East Coast. All this just adds to the ID dilemma of 
Commas.

Peter Manship
Ludlow Vt
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Terry L. Rosenmeier" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, September 20, 2008 10:37 AM
Subject: Re: Green or Hoary Comma ID help


> Peter, thank you for posting the question and photos.
>
> We were in northern NH earlier this month not that far from where you were 
> (Dartmouth College Grant), and we saw lots of commas and struggled with 
> the IDs ourselves.  We think that we were seeing mostly Green Commas, but 
> they didn't look like the one in your photos.  We're wondering if yours 
> might be an Eastern Comma.
>
> The ones we saw had very jagged wing edges, had the innermost dot on the 
> upper forewing dot band doubled across the vein , and had bright yellow 
> chevrons on the upper forewing, .  Most had green markings on the 
> underwings, but that was only visible in good light.
>
> I'm attaching photos I took of one that we saw and decided was a Green, 
> just in case anybody else wants to weigh in on this.  (This guy was very 
> friendly and insisted on landing on us, staying on us even as we walked!) 
> We're finding that comma ID is not all that straightforward, but we enjoy 
> the challenge and welcome further discussion!
>
> Terry Rosenmeier
> Karen Kluge
> Hanover, NH
>
> ========================
> Can anyone confirm the I.D. of this butterfly (see images) I found it
> yesterday on Big Brook rd in Pittsburg N.H. (I know it's not VT but where
> else can I find the answer?) I think it's a Green Comma and just want to
> make sure.I was going back and forth between Green and Hoary Comma. Tails
> not right for a Gray to me, Gray's tail is much darker and fancier alone 
> the
> edge.
> Thanks in advance for the help!
>
> Also seen up there:
>
> Morning Cloak   hundreds of them everywhere,   over 80 on Big Brook rd
> alone, this was an         amazing site. I think they must have just 
> hatched
> on Tuesday , they all looked brand new
>
> Red Admiral  7
> Monarch  1
> Cabbage White  15++
> Orange Sulfur  3
>
> Peter Manship
> Ludlow Vt
>