Comma

Wednesday, August 18th 2010

This beautiful Comma butterfly was spotted on the reserve for the first time this year yesterday. It was also seen today.

The unique ragged outline of this insect distinguishes it from all other butterflies. It usually first appears in March or April however, in warm summers the paler orange form hutchinsoni are produced in early July. These then mate and produce a second brood in August. In the autumn, Commas often feed from overripe fruit such as blackberries.

As you can see from the second photo (taken by John), the underside has a clear white crescent marking, hence the name.

There were seventeen species in the moth trap this morning including Gold Spot, Chinese Character and Dun-bar.

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