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Wingspan 50 - 64mm

Comma Polygonia c-album po-lee-GOH-nee-uh see-AL-bum Linnaeus, 1758 Ref: 1598

Superfamily: Papilionoidea Family: Nymphalidae Subfamily: Nymphalinae Genus: Polygonia Subgenus:   Species: c-album Forms: hutchinsoni (Robson, 1881)

Introduction Distribution Annual Cycle Habitat Larval Foodplants Nectar Sources

Imago Ovum Larva Pupa Similar Species Videos

Sites Conservation Status Links References

Male

Male Underside

Female

Female Underside

	Introduction

Looking like a tatty Small Tortoiseshell, the Comma is now a familiar sight throughout most of England and Wales and is one of the few species that is bucking the trend by considerably expanding its range. The butterfly gets its name from the only white marking on its underside, which resembles a comma.

When resting with wings closed this butterfly has excellent camouflage, the jagged outline of the wings giving the appearance of a withered leaf, making the butterfly inconspicuous when resting on a tree trunk or when hibernating.

Form: hutchinsoni

This form represents individuals that go on to produce a second brood. They are much paler in colour than adults that overwinter.

	Distribution

Once confined to the Welsh border counties, especially Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Monmouthshire, this species is now found throughout England, Wales and the Channel Islands and has recently reached Scotland. There have also been a few records from Ireland.

	Annual Cycle

The butterfly can be seen at any time of the year, occasionally awakening on warm winter days. The butterfly emerges from hibernation in March, giving rise to the next generation which appear at the end of June and start of July. The majority of the offspring have dark undersides and these go on to hibernate. However, the remainder of the offspring have quite light undersides and brighter uppersides, and are known as the form hutchinsoni.

This form is named after Emma Hutchinson who discovered that this form goes on to breed and produce another generation that then overwinter. As a result, there is another peak emergence in late summer, at the end of August and start of September. The trigger for the development of this form is the changing day length as the larva develops. If day length is increasing (before midsummer's day) as the larva develops, then the majority of adults will be the hutchinsoni form that go on to produce another generation, whereas if day length is decreasing, then the majority of adults will be the regular dark form that enter hibernation. The assumption, therefore, is that a good spring will allow for an earlier emergence and more-rapid larval development, resulting in a high proportion of hutchinsoni adults which can then comfortably fit in another brood.

	Habitat

This is primarily a woodland butterfly, where it can be seen along woodland rides and country lanes. However, especially in late summer, the butterfly is frequently seen in gardens where it feeds in on nectar sources to build up its fat reserves before entering hibernation.

	Larval Foodplants

The primary larval foodplant is Common Nettle (Urtica dioica). Currants (various) (Ribes spp.), Elms (various) (Ulmus spp.), Hop (Humulus lupulus) and Willows (various) (Salix spp.) are also used.

	Nectar Sources

Adults feed primarily on Thistles (Cirsium spp. and Carduus spp.). Bramble (Rubus fruticosus agg.), Ivy (Hedera helix), Knapweeds (Centaurea spp.) and Privet (Ligustrum vulgare) are also used.

	Imago

After emerging from hibernation, both sexes search out nectar sources, such as Sallow flowers or Blackthorn blossom. They also spend a good amount of time basking, favourite surfaces being tree trunks, wood piles, dead bracken and fence posts.

The male butterfly sets up a territory, often on the sunny side of a woodland margin or at the junction of two woodland rides. Here he will sit on a favourite perch awaiting a passing female and will fly up to investigate any passing insect. The male will also make short flights - always returning to the same perch. Even when disturbed, the male will fly off for several metres or so before predictably returning to exactly the same leaf. When egg-laying the female makes short fluttering flights over the foodplant, stopping every few feet, landing on the foodplant and, if suitable, laying a single green egg.

Those adults that hibernate take a good deal of nectar, building up essential fat reserves that will see them through the winter. They are often seen feeding from garden flowers or fruit, such as blackberries or fallen plums. They eventually search out woodland where they find a suitable location in which to hibernate such as a tree trunk, branch, hollow tree or log pile.

Photo © Pete Eeles 01-Jul-2008	Photo © Pete Eeles 04-Jul-2006	Photo © Pete Eeles 04-Aug-2006	Photo © Pete Eeles 19-Mar-2005
Photo © Mikhail	Photo © Sussex Kipper 11-Sep-2009

Form: hutchinsoni

Photo © Vince Massimo 06-Jul-2005	Photo © Vince Massimo 16-Sep-2005	Photo © Pete Eeles 22-Jun-2009	Photo © Adrian Riley
Photo © David Howden	Photo © Mark Nowak	Photo © David Whiteman

	Aberrations

Description to be completed

Photo © Trev Sawyer	Photo © Vince Massimo	Photo © Lee Hurrell 12-Sep-2009	ab. suffusa Photo © Graham Smith
ab. reichstensis Photo © Dave Wright	Photo © David Dennis	Photo © Richard Thomas	form [i:3n03j8jc]hutchinsoni[/i:3n03j8jc], (summer emergence) thought to be ab. [i:3n03j8jc]intermedia[/i:3n03j8jc]. Fermyn Woods 30th July 2009 Jack Harrison Photo © Jack Harrison
Photo © Lee Hurrell 16-Sep-2009	Photo © Sussex Kipper 07-Jul-2007	Comma ab. [i:19527jva]o-album[/i:19527jva] 25th June 2009 Stanwell Moor, Middlesex Photo © millerd

	Ovum

Eggs are laid singly on the foodplant, toward the edge of a leaf upperside, each female laying up to 275 eggs. They are normally laid on plants at the margins of woods, in woodland glades and rides or next to a hedgerow. Eggs are green when first laid but eventually turn yellow and ultimately grey just before hatching. This stage lasts between 2 and 3 weeks, depending on temperature.

Comma egg laid on nettle Black Park, Bucks 9th July 2010 Photo © millerd

1 day old Comma Ovum on hops leaf. Photograph taken July 2010 in Bristol, UK Photo © AdamArmitage

	Larva

On emerging, the young larva moves to the underside of a leaf where it feeds. As it matures it feeds on the upperside of the leaf and is quite unmistakable, resembling a bird dropping. This stage lasts around 5 weeks, depending on temperature. Larvae of the first brood moult 4 while those of the second brood moult 3 times.

Comma - Final Instar Caterpillar - 30/07/2008, Bred in Captivity, Mountstewart, Co Down, Northern Ireland Photo © Dave McCormick	Comma - First Instar Caterpillar - 22/07/2008, Bred in Captivity, Mountstewart, Co Down, Northern Ireland Photo © Dave McCormick	Photo © Pete Eeles 10-Jun-2006	Photo © Pete Eeles 24-Aug-2008
Photo © Pete Eeles 24-Aug-2008	Photo © Graham Smith	Photo © Ian Surman	Photo © Ian Surman
Final Instar Comma Larva. Larva removed from the hops plant in my back garden for the sake of the hops. Larva reared on Common Nettle and Black currant leaves until pupation. Imago released back into garden for the next generation to start! Photograph June 2010 in Bristol, UK Photo © AdamArmitage

	Pupa

The pupa is suspended head down, attached by the cremaster, to either the foodplant, surrounding vegetation or some other suitable platform. The pupa is quite beautiful and the green and brown colouring augmented with a small number of subtle silver spots, together with a jagged outline, give a superb impression of a withered leaf. This stage lasts around 2 weeks.

Photo © Pete Eeles 02-Sep-2008	Photo © Pete Eeles 09-Jun-2006	Photo © Pete Eeles 15-Jun-2006	Photo © Pete Eeles 28-Aug-2008
Photo © Pete Eeles 28-Aug-2008	1 day old Comma pupa. Larva taken from garden (to save my hops and black currants). Larve captive reared and released. Photograph taken June 2010 in Bristol. Photo © AdamArmitage

	Similar Species

No similar species found.

	Videos

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	Sites

Click here to see the distribution of this species overlaid with specific site information. Alternatively, select one of the sites listed below.

Rating	Sites
	Bedfont Lakes Country Park LNR
	Banstead Downs, Bovey Valley Woodlands, Lower Woods, West Yatton Down
	Backside Common, Fleam Dyke, Hockley Woods, Midgham Lakes, Piddington Wood
	Bentley Wood, Devils Ditch
Not rated	Ashampstead Common, Hounslow Heath LNR, Howardian Local Nature Reserve, Hyde, Mayford Pond, Winsdon Hill

	Conservation Status

The Comma is one of the few species that is thriving which is believed to be linked to global warming. Its range has been continually expanding and it has recently reached Scotland where it hasn't been seen since around 1870. As such, this is not a species of conservation concern.

UK BAP Status	Distribution Trend	Population Trend
Not Listed

From The State of Butterflies in Britain and Ireland and the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP) (2007 review).

	Links

The following links provide additional information on this butterfly.

• British Butterflies by Steven Cheshire
• Butterfly Monitoring Scheme
• European Butterflies by Christopher Jonko
• European Butterflies by Matt Rowlings
• Guy Padfield's European Butterfly Page
• Learn About Butterflies by Adrian Hoskins
• Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North Africa
• Natural History Museum (Cockayne Database)

	References

The species description provided here has been derived from the author's own observations and the information contained in the following works:

• A Natural History of British Butterflies, by F.W.Frohawk.
• British and Irish Butterflies, by Adrian M. Riley
• South's British Butterflies, by T.G.Howarth (which is based extensively on the classic work, "The Butterflies of the British Isles", by Richard South).
• The Butterflies of Britain and Ireland, by Jeremy Thomas and Richard Lewington.
• The Millennium Atlas of Butterflies in Britain and Ireland, by Jim Asher, Martin Warren, Richard Fox, Paul Harding, Gail Jeffcoate, Stephen Jeffcoate.
• The Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland Volume 7 (1) Hesperiidae to Nymphalidae (the Butterflies), by A. Maitland Emmet and John Heath (editors).
• The State of Butterflies in Britain and Ireland, Richard Fox, Jim Asher, Tom Brereton, David Roy and Martin Warren.

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