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| UK Status |
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| Resident |
A species which is continually Resident in the UK with stable breeding populations. |
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| Migrant |
A species which occurs as a Migrant in the UK. It may be able to breed here although they are usually unable to survive our winter months. Migrants are normally reported in the UK every year. |
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| Rare Migrant |
A species which occurs as a Rare Migrant in the UK. It may able to breed here although they are usually unable to survive our winter months. Rare Migrants may not be seen for many years. |
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| Extinct |
A species which is Extinct in the UK, usually as a result of habitat loss. |
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| Introduction |
A species which ocurs in the UK as an accidental introduction. |
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Description
Eggs are laid singly on the uppermost leaves and the caterpillars usually hatch after about 15 days. The favored foodplant in the past was Hops but a decline in village breweries has caused a move towards nettle (usually growing in shaded positions) as the favored foodplant although Elm is often used as well.
The larvae of the Comma are particularly attractive at close quarters although from a distance resemble a bird dropping.
Pupation almost always takes place on the foodplant.
Butterflies of the summer brood appearing around May/June are deep orange and are known as form hutchinsoni. Later broods and those overwintering as Adults are more usually deeper brown above while their underwing is either a beautiful mix of blues greys and browns or the more usual orange/brown.
Habitat
The Comma is presently a relatively common butterfly but up until the 1940's the Comma was only regularly seen on the Welsh borders.
Larval Food Plants
The larvae feed on Common Nettle (Urtica dioica) Hops () and English Elm (). |
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| Stock Photography Library |
| We have 48 photographs of the Comma in the British Butterflies photo library |
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BB1698 - Comma
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BB1299 - Comma
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BB1298 - Comma
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BB1297 - Comma
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BB1296 - Comma
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BB1295 - Comma
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BB1200 - Comma
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BB1199 - Comma
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| Distribution |
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The Comma is a relatively common species in England an Wales becoming less common further north towards the edge of its range around northern England. It appears to be extending northwards probably as a result of global warming in recent years. The adult butterflies from the summer brood hibernate during the winter and it is these individuals which you will see on the wing in early spring (March/April) the following year.
It is a strong flyer and can travel long distances so may turn up anywhere where suitable nectar plants occur. |
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| Where to see the Comma |
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| Population Trends |
| species status |
the Comma is a resident species in Britain |
| population trend1 |
(1995-2004)  up by 64% |
(1976-2004) up by 305% |
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1Fox, R., Asher. J., Brereton. T., Roy, D & Warren, M.
(2006) The State of Butterflies in Britain & Ireland, Pices, Oxford. |
| UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) Status |
| UK BAP status2 |
not listed (link) |
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| 2 For more information about the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) species status, visit www.ukbap.org.uk. |
| IUCN Category Status |
| IUCN category3 |
 least concern4 |
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3 Fox, R., Warren, M & Brereton, T.
(2007) New Red List of British Butterflies. Butterfly Conservation, Wareham.
4 More information about IUCN categories available here. |
| Find Out More Online* |
| More information about the Comma can be found on Peter Eeles excellent UK Butterflies web site. |
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Aberrations and Forms |
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| We currently know of 18 named aberrant forms of the Comma. More information about aberrants can be found here. |
 ab. carbonaria - Verity (1916) |
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| ab. c-extinctum - Gillmer (1907) |
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| ab. delta-album - Joseph (1919) |
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| ab. dilutus - Frohawk (1938) |
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| ab. extincta - Rebel (1920) |
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| ab. g-album - Tutt (1896) |
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| ab. i-album - Tutt (1896) |
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| ab. imperfecta - Blachier (1908) |
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| ab. iota-album - Newnham (1894) |
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| ab. neole - Oliver (1937) |
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| ab. nigracastanea - Verity (1950) |
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| ab. o-album - Tutt (1896) |
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| ab. obscura - Closs (1916) |
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| ab. reichstettensis - Fettig (1893) |
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| ab. sagitta-album - Frohawk (1938) |
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| ab. suffusa - Frohawk (1938) |
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| ab. variegata - Tutt (1896) |
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| form. hutchinsoni - Robson (1881) |
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The following aberrant forms of the Comma have been photographed in the wild in Britain:
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| References |
| The information on this web site comes from a variety of freely available resources including books, academic reports and web sites alongside my own personal observations of butterflies. The species descriptions are currently in the process of being edited (spring 2009) to include new data, recent personal observations and referencing following a major update to the site.
A complete list of references mentioned in the text on this web site is available here. |
| * External Links Disclaimer |
| This web site includes links to information provided by external web sites which are not in any way under the control of www.britishbutterflies.co.uk. We cannot, therefore, be held responsible for the content of external web pages. |
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50-64mm
