Comma - Favourite Photo of 2024

[Wurzel]

Comma - Favourite Photo of 2024

Week 3

The clocks have changed but the butterflies are holding on…even if they weren’t the Favourites threads await!

Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos as then it will be easier to keep track of things? Of course our overseas members are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants. As in previous years details of locations, dates, times and circumstances would be welcome as would any accompanying stories and anecdotes or other observations of behaviour and interesting other points.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David Lazarus]

There were not any stand out moments for me with this species. My sightings did not seem to indicate that there were neither more or less than previous years. It feels like I have not seen too many in recent weeks when I would have expected to see more, I think. However, it was interesting to see the change of ride profiles throughout the year at Hatfield Forest. And on my last visit there, on the 18th September, I was not expecting the two most abundant species along the rides to be Speckled Wood [22] - and perhaps more surprising - Comma [9]. Perhaps I should not have been as the type of rides found at Hatfield Forest are one of the Comma's favoured habitats. It stands out not only for their part in this developing ride profile but also because it was the most I had seen in one place during 2024 - nearly double figures - when mostly I would only come across one or two.

Not the best photograph I took of a Comma during 2024, and not the most striking specimen either, but perhaps favoured because it was the most memorable occasion of sharing some time with the beautiful Comma.

Comma - Hatfield Forest on the 18th September 2024 at 13.05pm

Comma underwings
Hatfield Forest 18/09/2024

Comma upperwings
Hatfield Forest 18/09/2024

[Goldie M]

I saw my first Comma on the 29th of April at Castle Gardens Tankerton and my second at Reculver on the 17th of July, like most of the Butterflies that are usually common I found the Comma quite scarce this year so I was pleased to get at least two shots of them.Goldie

[Allan.W.]

Commas had a reasonable season locally (mid-Kent),numbers probably around the same as in 23' Didn,t take too many Shots,this September individual from Crundale in the North Downs is my favourite. Allan.W.

[Neil Freeman]

Numbers of ex-hibernators were reasonable around my patch but later in the summer they seemed a bit thin on the ground and I didn't see many around here in the autumn.
My first butterfly of the year was a Comma, seen flying through my garden on March 15th, but it was another 9 days before my season properly started with a wander around my local spot by Wagon Lane providing 3 Commas, 2 Peacocks and a single Small Tortoiseshell. My favourite Comma photo of 2024 comes from this day.

Comma - Wagon Lane 24.03.2024

Cheers,

Neil.

[Butterfly_Julian]

I have already post my favourite Comma photo but loved this one see at The Naze last Sunday enjoying a feed on the blackberries.
Seen 25% less around this year compared to last year.

Julian

[Stevieb]

I didn't take many photos this year but this super fresh and well marked Comma caught my eye and was worthy of a photo in my mind. 24th July, Melksham, Wiltshire.

[Wurzel]

Comma

This was taken relatively recently over at Middle Street. I liked the way that the butterfly just ‘pinged’ out of the screen away from the bokeh as it was so fresh and burnt ginger. But the real reason for its selection as the Favourite is that I’m hoping to bump into this one in 2025 and so now I know that the image will be easy to relocate for comparison in February/March time .

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[ChrisStamp]

This one was taken 3rd November, near Perth, Scotland.

[David M]

I didn't take many photos this year but this super fresh and well marked Comma caught my eye and was worthy of a photo in my mind. 24th July, Melksham, Wiltshire.

That's a real nice one, Steve.

[David M]

Didn't have a great year with these in all honesty.

This one, at the back end of March at Cwm Ivy was probably my favourite:

[millerd]

Commas had an average kind of year on my local patch, with decent numbers appearing from hibernation, and reasonable (though belated) hutchinsoni emergence. The next round of butterflies heading for hibernation 2024/5 were also well spread out through August and September, overlapping quite a bit with their predecessors.

Choosing favourites is always tricky, as the hutchinsoni individuals in particular can be striking insects and are very variable. Here is a selection from throughout the season that have stood out for me. The first is a very well-preserved post-hibernation individual with unusual silvery borders to its wings.

The next example was the first one I saw of the summer generation at the end of June. One or two always set up shop on this bit of path where they chase each other and more especially any Large Skippers.

A week or so later I found one that was unusually small - about the size of a male Gatekeeper (that's a very small wasp next to it!).

At the other end of the scale was a particularly large and well-marked individual a few days later.

The final choice from all the hutchinsoni was this more subtle female.

In early August, the next brood were appearing...

...continuing into September. This dark individual was subtly asymmetric, probably a congenital issue rather than anything else.

There were many more, but these few stood out in the memory.

Dave

[essexbutterflyer]

The Comma had a good year in my neck of the woods in South Essex. It was the only vanessid I can say I saw consistently in good numbers: peacocks were flush at the start of the season and red admirals at the end (don’t even get me started on small torts), but comma throughout. Attached is one I saw whilst hunting for SWF at One Tree Hill.

Zayed

[bugboy]

Something a bit different, playing with exposures and camera settings on a cloudy day in Essex. I do like how the flash has picked out the iridescent greens

[IAC]

Far too many favourites of Comma. A very good season with the highest number of Summer form I have seen up here in the Scottish Borders to date. This was one of many offspring of the Summer brood later in the season.

[Matsukaze]

These had a poor year around here and I didn't see many. This one at Halecombe quarry on 27 July was the most photogenic.