They can arrive in early spring, but late May and June are more usual. They are fairly common across Britain, numerous in some years. Females lay their small, green eggs on a range of species, such as nettles and mallows, but thistles are the general favourite. When the caterpillars hatch they begin to eat the underside of the
Caterpillars pupate and remain suspended in a large tent of leaves until the adults emerge in August and September. The whole British population dies or emigrates to Africa in the autumn. Caterpillars are black,
Physical Description
Statistics
Wingspan: 60mm.
Commas have orange-brown wings with a pattern of darker markings. The edges of the wings are ragged in appearance. On the underside of the wing is a small white mark in the shape of a comma.
The caterpillars are black with a red band along each side and a large white patch on the rear part of the back (which camouflages them by giving them the appearance of a bird dropping). They have rows of spines along the back and sides.
Adult commas feed from flowers such as dandelions and thistles. In late summer they often feed on fallen fruit, such as apples. Caterpillars feed on shoots of nettle, blackcurrant, hazel, hop and elm.
Behaviour
Adults hibernate during winter and emerge in early spring.
Reproduction
This butterfly has two to three generations between May and October.
