Comma
Polygonia c-album
The Comma is a widespread European butterfly distinguished by its deeply scalloped and ragged wing edges. The upper wings are bright orange with dark spots, while the cryptic underside features a distinctive white 'C' mark on the hindwings. It inhabits woodland edges, clearings, and gardens, and is notable for overwintering as an adult butterfly in vegetation.
Details
Identification
Deeply jagged wing margins; orange upperside with black and brown spots; white C-shaped mark on the brown-grey underside of the hindwings.
Social behavior
Solitary; males exhibit territorial behavior (perching) during the mating season.
Diet
Caterpillars are polyphagous, feeding on the leaves of various herbs and woody plants; adults feed on flower nectar, tree sap, and the juice of rotting fruit.
Spawning substrate
Underside of leaves of host plants such as stinging nettle (Urtica dioica), hops (Humulus lupulus), or goat willow (Salix caprea).
Overwintering
Overwinters as an imago (adult butterfly) in sheltered locations such as hollow tree trunks, brush piles, or dense ivy.
Ecology
Ecological role
Important pollinator and link in the food chain; caterpillars and butterflies serve as food for birds, spiders, and parasitoid wasps.
Natural predators
Insectivorous birds, orb-weaver spiders, ichneumon wasps (as parasitoids of the caterpillars).
Competitor species
Other brush-footed butterflies (Nymphalidae) with similar larval host plants, such as the European Peacock or Small Tortoiseshell.
Ecosystem service
Pollination of a wide variety of wild and cultivated plants.
Threats
Loss of edge structures and woodland borders; excessive removal of nettle patches in the agricultural landscape.
Scientific profile
Profile
Distinguishing features
Characteristic features include the extremely jagged and indented wing margins, giving the butterfly a 'tattered' appearance. The eponymous white 'C' on the underside of the hindwing is a definitive diagnostic feature.
Habitat
Forest edges, clearings, hedgerows, gardens, parks, and riparian vegetation. Prefers semi-shaded, rather moist locations where host plants are present.
Protection & threats
Main threats
Intensification of forestry, removal of edge structures and 'weeds' (nettles), use of insecticides in agriculture and forestry.
Population trend
Stable to increasing; the species shows a trend of range expansion northward in Central Europe, likely favored by climate change.
Conservation measures
Preservation and promotion of structurally rich forest edges, leaving nettle patches and hops in the landscape, avoidance of pesticides in gardens and parks.