Comma
Polygonia c-album
National Status
Population trend 10 years to 2016 -28%; since 1976 +150%.
West Midlands Status
Widespread, found almost in all areas, range stable. Population trend 10 years to 2016 – decreasing.
Comma was recorded in 764 squares in 2026
10 Year Trend Analysis
Habitat
Open woodland, woodland margins, hedgerows and gardens.
Caterpillar Food Plant
The main foodplant is Common Nettle (Urtica dioica). Currants (various) (Ribes spp.), Elms (various) (Ulmus spp.), Hop (Humulus lupulus) and Willows (various) (Salix spp.) are also used.
Refer to the Gardening for butterflies website by Joseph Shaffery for more details about caterpillar food plants and nectar sources.
Life Cycle
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Egg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Larva | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pupa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Adult | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Flight Period
Hibernates through the winter and has two generations each year in late June/early July and late August/early September.
First/Last Sightings 2026
| First Sighting | Recorded by | Last Sighting | Recorded by |
| 21 January | beau_the_crestie | 7 October | Martin, John P |
Distribution Map
Key
Total number of sightings per tetrad
Hotspots
The highest transect counts are at Grafton Wood, the Knapp and Papermill Nature Reserve, Haugh Wood, Monkwood and the Rea Valley, Birmingham.