What do they look like?
The most distinctive feature of the comma is its scalloped wings giving it a ragged outline. No other British butterfly has such a shape. The other distinguishing feature is the small white marking, from which the common name derives, that stands out on the dark mottled underwing. The upperwings have an orange background with dark brown patches and without noticing the shape it could be mistaken for a fritillary. Males are normally slightly darker than females, particularly on the undersides, and also have a more ragged wing outline.
Both sexes can have a bright golden variety with paler undersides known as the hutchinsoni form. The wingspan is between 50 and 64mm and females are slightly larger.
Where are they found (in Britain and Ireland)
Mainly England, Wales and eastern Scotland. Rare in Northern Ireland and the rest of Scotland.
What is their preferred habitat outside gardens?
The butterfly’s preferred habitat is open woodland including rides, clearings and edges. However before hibernating they range more widely into other habitats in their search for food sources.
Resident or migrant?
Resident
When to see them?
Commas can theoretically be seen throughout the year although the greatest chance of spotting them is after late June when the new brood of adults starts to emerge. The species has an interesting life cycle that seems to help them adapt to varying weather conditions as the new brood will contain both standard adults and the golden hutchinsoni form. The standard adults don’t mate again – they concentrate on feeding – whereas the hutchinsoni form produce a second brood in late August. The proportions of these two forms are governed by day length: caterpillars switch to producing more of the hutchinsoni butterflies when daylength is increasing as happens in a warm early spring when the adults have come out of hibernation earlier and there is time to fit in a second brood.
What happens in winter?
Commas overwinter as adults, usually hibernating on the trunk or branches of trees where their shape and colour gives them excellent camouflage. The adult butterflies come out of hibernation in March or early April and die soon after mating.
The newly-hatched caterpillar has pale yellow-green segments interspersed with darker ones and is about 2mm long. At this stage it lives on the underside of leaves. As it grows and goes through its moults, the body becomes darker and bristly spines develop and it moves to the leaf upper surface. Finally it develops orange-brown markings all along its body, similar coloured spines on the first few segments and then a white marking and white spines on the rear segments. At this stage it is said to resemble a bird dropping.
The pupa hangs head-down and resembles a dried leaf.
What do the caterpillars eat?
The primary larval foodplant is common nettle Urtica dioica. Hop Humulus lupulus, currants Ribes spp. and willows Salix spp. are also used1..
Flowers they take nectar from
Adults feed primarily on brambles, buddleja, ivy, knapweeds, thistles and wild privet. Before hibernation, when they need to build up fat reserves, they will search out garden flowers and fruit such as blackberries or fallen plums2..
How are they doing?
After declining in the first part of the twentieth century comma butterflies have made a spectacular comeback with a 203% increase in abundance since 1976 and a 94% increase in distribution since 1973. This has been attributed largely to climate change: mobile, generalist species like the comma are able to expand their range northwards as the climate has warmed while other species have been constrained by the lack of suitable habitat near to their range margin3..
Other interesting facts
Many of our butterflies have common French names very similar to their English equivalents. But the comma is usually known in France as Robert-le-diable (Robert the devil). This is thought to be because with its wings folded the butterfly resembles the profile of the Devil as drawn in the Middle Ages. However, according to medieval legend, Robert the devil is actually the Devil’s son, born to a duchess in Normandy. He commits many monstrous acts but eventually repents4..
References
3. State of UK Butterflies 2022 report
Page written by Judy Skinner, reviewed and compiled by Steve Head
What do they look like?
The most distinctive feature of the comma is its scalloped wings giving it a ragged outline. No other British butterfly has such a shape. The other distinguishing feature is the small white marking, from which the common name derives, that stands out on the dark mottled underwing. The upperwings have an orange background with dark brown patches and without noticing the shape it could be mistaken for a fritillary. Males are normally slightly darker than females, particularly on the undersides, and also have a more ragged wing outline.
Both sexes can have a bright golden variety with paler undersides known as the hutchinsoni form. The wingspan is between 50 and 64mm and females are slightly larger.
Where are they found (in Britain and Ireland)
Mainly England, Wales and eastern Scotland. Rare in Northern Ireland and the rest of Scotland.
What is their preferred habitat outside gardens?
The butterfly’s preferred habitat is open woodland including rides, clearings and edges. However before hibernating they range more widely into other habitats in their search for food sources.
Resident or migrant?
Resident
When to see them?
Commas can theoretically be seen throughout the year although the greatest chance of spotting them is after late June when the new brood of adults starts to emerge. The species has an interesting life cycle that seems to help them adapt to varying weather conditions as the new brood will contain both standard adults and the golden hutchinsoni form. The standard adults don’t mate again – they concentrate on feeding – whereas the hutchinsoni form produce a second brood in late August. The proportions of these two forms are governed by day length: caterpillars switch to producing more of the hutchinsoni butterflies when daylength is increasing as happens in a warm early spring when the adults have come out of hibernation earlier and there is time to fit in a second brood.
What happens in winter?
Commas overwinter as adults, usually hibernating on the trunk or branches of trees where their shape and colour gives them excellent camouflage. The adult butterflies come out of hibernation in March or early April and die soon after mating.
What do the early stages look like?
Eggs are strongly ribbed and laid singly, green initially then fading to grey.
What do the caterpillars eat?
The primary larval foodplant is common
nettle Urtica dioica.
Hop Humulus lupulus, currants
Ribes spp. and willows
Salix spp. are also used
1..
Flowers they take nectar from
Adults feed primarily on brambles, buddleja, ivy, knapweeds, thistles and wild privet. Before hibernation, when they need to build up fat reserves, they will search out garden flowers and fruit such as blackberries or fallen plums2..
How are they doing?
After declining in the first part of the twentieth century comma butterflies have made a spectacular comeback with a 203% increase in abundance since 1976 and a 94% increase in distribution since 1973. This has been attributed largely to climate change: mobile, generalist species like the comma are able to expand their range northwards as the climate has warmed while other species have been constrained by the lack of suitable habitat near to their range margin3..
Other interesting facts
Many of our butterflies have common French names very similar to their English equivalents. But the comma is usually known in France as Robert-le-diable (Robert the devil). This is thought to be because with its wings folded the butterfly resembles the profile of the Devil as drawn in the Middle Ages. However, according to medieval legend, Robert the devil is actually the Devil’s son, born to a duchess in Normandy. He commits many monstrous acts but eventually repents4..
References
3. State of UK Butterflies 2022
report
Page written by Judy Skinner, reviewed and compiled by Steve Head
What do the early stages look like?
Eggs are strongly ribbed and laid singly, green initially then fading to grey.
The newly-hatched caterpillar has pale yellow-green segments interspersed with darker ones and is about 2mm long. At this stage it lives on the underside of leaves. As it grows and goes through its moults, the body becomes darker and bristly spines develop and it moves to the leaf upper surface. Finally it develops orange-brown markings all along its body, similar coloured spines on the first few segments and then a white marking and white spines on the rear segments. At this stage it is said to resemble a bird dropping.
The pupa hangs head-down and resembles a dried leaf.