Comma

Polygonia c-album

Iain H Leach
Rob Blanken
Andrew Cooper
Jim Asher
Peter Eeles
Peter Eeles

What do they eat?

Caterpillars munch on:

  • Common Nettle
  • Hop
  • Elm trees
  • Currants
  • Willows

Adults take nectar from various flowers including:

  • Bramble
  • Ivy
  • Thistles
  • Wild Privet

And also feed on rotting fruit

Where does it spend the winter?

This butterfly spends the winter as an adult, hiding in tree hollows, amongst logs, leaves and branches, or on tree trunks, where their broken wing shape makes them almost invisible.

Size

small
medium
large

Flying Season

January - December

Life Cycle

Adult

January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

Egg

April, May, June, July, August

Caterpillar

April, May, June, July, August

Chrysallis

May, June, July, August, September

UK Distribution

Want to learn

more?

There is even more about this species on the main Butterfly Conservation website

Fun Facts
about the Comma

Caterpillars of the Comma butterfly are black and orange with a white mark down their back, giving them the appearance of a bird dropping!