Comma ID help, Virginia

[David Hamilton Cox]

 Until a few weeks ago, I assumed that all the Polygonia species that I
encountered here in Madison County, Virginia, were either the Eastern Comma,
P. comma, or the Question Mark, P. interrogationis. Then on October 13 I
saw and photographed what I assume is a Gray Comma, P. progne. This 
individual caught my eye because it seemed smaller and somehow different,
and the photos do seem to show a more ragged wing margin, "outer half
of FW (but not HW) is frosted" ("Butterflies of the East Coast," Cech and
Tudor), and the "comma" is thin, one "leg" shorter than the other. 

 So I've been paying more attention to Comma's and on October 17 I 
photographed two other individuals in the same area as the October 13 Gray
Comma (Whiteoak Canyon, Shenandoah National Park). I assume that these
are both P. Comma but would like confirmation, if these photos show enough
detail to do so.

 Then, this past Thursday, hiking up the nearby Cedar Run trail, I saw
another interesting Polygonia, a sluggish individual that let me get
quite close with my camera, and even pick it up. Above, this one has the
"innermost black spot on the trailing FW dot row is doubled across the
vein" (same reference) which made me think it might be a Green Comma, 
P. faunus, but further study has led me to think it is an Eastern Comma
that happens to have this variant (the doubled innermost black spot). This
would be a bit out of range for the Green Comma and the other identifying
marks seem missing.

 All these photos: above and below of the Gray Comma, the two Eastern Comma's,
and the possible Green Comma above and below, can be seen here:

http://www.cig.usa.canon.com/p?p=BDYEVy7C5jC

 I would appreciate any opinions on the identification of these butterflies.

-David Cox

 
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