Comma

Scientific Name - Polygonia c-album

Flight Period - All year round

Overwinters as - Adult

Habitat - Gardens, Parks, Grassland, Woodlands

Larval foodplants - Common Nettle, Elm, Currants, Hop

Conservation status - Low priority

Northamptonshire distribution - Widespread

Best public sites to see them - Anywhere with suitable habitat

The Comma is a common and widespread butterfly in Northamptonshire. It has a stunning curled pattern to the edges of the wings and a beautifully cryptic underwing that looks just like the bark of a tree. The tiny pale “comma” mark on this underwing is what gives this butterfly its name. Equally as cryptic is this butterfly’s larvae which, due to its colour, can look remarkably like a bird dropping. It is also known to have a curious lifecycle! Although many of the fresh adult butterflies that emerge in mid-summer go on to overwinter as adults, some, known as the var. hutchinsoni, will go on to have another brood. These var. hutchinsoni Commas are considerably paler than the normal Commas with much lighter undersides.

Comma Distribution 2018 - 2022

Comma upperwing

Comma underwing

Comma egg

Comma larva

Comma var. hutchinsoni

Comma var. hutchinsoni