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Comma - Favourite Photo of 2018

Week 3

Things have been a fair bit cooler this weekend but luckily the Favorite Photo Thread is up and running so you can maintain your butterfly fix Don't panic if you post your favourite for this species only to find another in the coming days/weeks which surpassed your original choice, feel free to post one now and another later.

Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos as then it will be easier to keep track of things? Of course our overseas members are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants. As in previous years details of locations, dates, times and circumstances would be welcome as would any accompanying stories and anecdotes or other observations of behaviour and interesting other points.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

I had a memorable morning at Bucknell Wood, near Silverstone, on 3rd July, when It was very warm and sunny. It was one of those days when the edges of the rides and open areas seemed to be alive with clouds of butterflies! My objective was the Silver-washed Fritillary but my photo of those will have to wait until later in this Winter series.

I am pleased with this shot of a Comma, which seems to have captured much of the character of this butterfly - the cryptic underside, 'ragged' profile and, of course, the 'comma' mark.
Mike

I was looking for caterpillars amongst the sallow catkins when this Comma landed next to me.

I was in Blean Woods Kent when I saw this Comma suddenly land , it made us laugh so much, it's been a favourite ever since,
21st July Kent.Goldie

Hard to choose between several nice encounters with Commas this year, but I think my favourite is this, taken at Yorkshire Wildlife Trust's Skerne Wetlands only last month (29th Sept). With its autumn colours and red berries, I have it earmarked as the December page of my calendar for next year, and possibly for future Christmas cards!

I always end up with loads of Comma images, I can never resist them. I think it stems back to my childhood butterfly chasing days when the Comma was the least common of the adult hibernators to be found where I grew up, so the one I used to get most excited about seeing in the spring.
This first one was one was the first of the season and was also an opportunity to test out my new zoom lens on butterflies, finding it to be very useful This second, a hutchinsoni female who played hide and seek with me on Chobham Common gets a vote from me, I love the shadow filling in the missing parts and finally a selection of undersides to show the variety of patterning including a couple of abs. top left i-album and an O-album bottom right.

On my patch, this species had a good spring but a woeful late season.

This fresh individual, seen at the Pembrokeshire Brown Hairstreak site, on 25th August was, I think, the latest one I've seen in 2018:

Good numbers of post hibernating Commas flying around my local patch in the Spring, always a favourite sight to see these on spring blossom
Also plenty about in high summer...
But, along with all the hibernating vanessids, very thin on the ground later in the year...a bit worrying for next spring, maybe they hibernated early, I guess we will have to wait and see.

Cheers,

Neil.

Here is a Comma from the south of France in mid June.
This year I had sightings throughout the season. Chris

Comma

This was taken at the tail end of August at Shipton Bellinger. It was looking like I was going to bomb out on Brostreaks due to the Dog Show so this shot was heading towards the favourite shot of the day purely as it wold have been a consolation prize. However it swiftly became my favourite as it had a lovely set of gun grey studs along the margins of the wings; something I’ve never seen before. It looked like a Blue Badger Comma.
Have a goodun

Wurzel

Wurzel wrote:Comma

This was taken at the tail end of August at Shipton Bellinger. It was looking like I was going to bomb out on Brostreaks due to the Dog Show so this shot was heading towards the favourite shot of the day purely as it wold have been a consolation prize. However it swiftly became my favourite as it had a lovely set of gun grey studs along the margins of the wings; something I’ve never seen before. It looked like a Blue Badger Comma.

DSC_0076 - Copy-001.JPG

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Those grey studs make it look reminiscent to the Asian Comma Polygonia c-aureum. Must be something latent in the genetic makeup that pops up every now and again.

Possibly the most common Vanessid around these parts this year, but my best shot was from Ranscombe Farm, Cuxton, on 23rd June...

My favourite Comma photo has to be this one taken during the summer at Hartwell Pocket Park in Northants. I'd gone there to check the Elms for White-letter Hairstreaks but unfortunately couldn't find any. This Comma did provide a nice distraction though.