Page 1 of 1

Comma

Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2008 9:58 pm
by 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...

Image

Re: Comma

Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 3:18 pm
by sahikmet
Hi,

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

Cheers

Sezar Hikmet

Re: Comma

Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 4:37 pm
by 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

Re: Comma

Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 4:59 pm
by sahikmet
Hi Neil,

Thanks for the interesting information.

Cheers

Sezar

Re: Comma

Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 7:49 pm
by Shirley Roulston
Lovely photos of the Comma, is Autumn coming already? From Shirley Roulston

Re: Comma

Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 6:17 pm
by eccles
Shirley, as Neil says, there are more than one comma brood per year. The hutchinsoni variant is a summer emergence.

Re: Comma

Posted: Fri Jun 20, 2008 2:09 pm
by sahikmet
Hi,

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

Sezar Hikmet :D

Re: Comma

Posted: Fri Jun 20, 2008 2:57 pm
by 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

Re: Comma

Posted: Fri Jun 20, 2008 5:09 pm
by sahikmet
Thanks for the info Neil

Sezar

Re: Comma

Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 2:36 pm
by Martin
Starting to see lots more now...

Image

Image

Martin.