Comma

[Martin]

Looking at the flight times for Comma, it shows that they shouldn't be on the wing from the begining of May untill the third week of June, so I guess this fella I photographed today is a week early...

[sahikmet]

Hi,

The first was taken on 7th May second earlier on 21st April. Is this earliest sightings this year?

Cheers

Sezar Hikmet

[Neil Hulme]

Hi Sezar,
When Martin refers to his Comma being early, he is referring to the first of the summer brood. The Comma over-winters as an adult, emerging when the spring weather is warm enough, to produce a new generation. The butterflies you photographed are over-winterers at the end of their life. From about now onwards this new batch of Commas, many being the paler, less heavily marked hutchinsoni form, will start to emerge. You will notice a real influx of them in a week to ten days time. This species has a fascinating and quite complex life-cycle and it's well worth reading up on it.
Neil

[sahikmet]

Hi Neil,

Thanks for the interesting information.

Cheers

Sezar

[Shirley Roulston]

Lovely photos of the Comma, is Autumn coming already? From Shirley Roulston

[eccles]

Shirley, as Neil says, there are more than one comma brood per year. The hutchinsoni variant is a summer emergence.

[sahikmet]

Hi,

look what I found today, briliant colours, presume must be this years brood.

Sezar Hikmet

[Neil Hulme]

Hi Sezar,
Yes, that's a summer hutchinsoni fresh from the 'shell'. Saw my first one at Littlehampton yesterday. By the end of next week there should be lots about.
Neil

[sahikmet]

Thanks for the info Neil

Sezar

[Martin]

Starting to see lots more now...





Martin.