The Comma, Polygonia c-album

The Comma is fairly common in Great Yeldham, though mostly seen as the odd one or two at a time.

Individual males can be seen on the same perch, such as on the side of a sunny hedge, for many days in succession. Their most favoured perching spot in the paddock at Roseland House, is in the south-east corner against a tall Blackthorn hedge. They usually appear in the afternoon after the sun has got round to the east.

There are two broods per year. The overwintered adult females lay eggs in April-May to produce the summer brood which emerges in June-July. This brood in turn lays eggs to produce a second brood which emerge as adults in August to early September.

The darker butterflies are produced when the caterpillars have shorter days, and hibernate as adults. They are seen in the autumn and again in the spring.

The larval foodplants are Hops, nettles or Elm.

Forms: 2012. Typical up to June 14.   Hutchinsoni: July 3 - Sept 1.   Typical from Sept 4

Weather notes:
2011. July - early August very wet.
2012. April - mid July very wet. August to mid September dry.
2013. Winter wet, March and early April, very cold. The rest of the spring was mostly cold. July, mostly very warm. August, warm.
2014. Winter very wet, mild. Spring was early, colder in mid April. Summer to early August, warm without a drought.
2015. Winter normal, March, April - May mostly cold. Sallow flowers opened on March 28 - 29th. Summer, fairly normal.
2016. Winter normal. Sallow flowers opened on April 2 - 3rd. Spring mostly cool and breezy. For a few weeks in late spring there was heavy rainfall and saturated soil and vegetation. Late summer with hot, dry periods.
2017. Winter mildish, hardly any frost. Sallow flowers opened on March 14 - 15th. Warm spells in March. April mostly dry and chilly. First Creeping Thistle flowers open on June 13th, followed by about 7 days of heat wave. Early July was very warm, excellent for counting butterflies. Late summer, autumn normal.
2018. Winter normal with a few days of settled snow. Sallow flowers open on March 26th. March, April mostly cold and wet, May warm. June 11, Bramble flowers opening to greet first Large Skippers. Mid June to early August, very hot and dry. Autumn mostly dry.
2019. Winter normal. Hardly any frost. Sallow flowers seen on March 10th. Spring mostly cool apart from Easter heatwave. May 31, Bramble flowers starting to open. June 1, Buckthorn in full bloom. Dryish summer with some heatwaves.
2020. Mildish winter. Sallow flowers open March 10th. Spring mostly cool. Several warm days in early April and through May. May 28 Bramble flowers opening. Record dry May. June nectar sources mostly Buttercups in the unmown paths, and Brambles.
2021. Winter normal. Very wet, early spring then cold. Sallow flowers opened on March 23rd. Summer with a few hot spells and moderate rain.
2022. Winter, normal. Sallow flowers open on March 18th. Bramble flowers open May 28. Summer, mostly very dry with long hot spells.
2023. Winter normal, some frost. Feb very dry, March very wet. Sallow flowers open on March 21st. Cold wet spring followed by hottest May on record, warm June and wet July. Autumn, mild and wet.
2024. Winter mild and wet. Feb very wet. Sallow flowers open on March 13th. April record rainfall. Late summer, early autumn much dryer.
2025. Early spring very wet, then dry early April to late August, very hot at times.
2026. Winter very wet. Sallow in flower March 17th. April, May very dry. Early June very wet then dry. Mid June - Mid August, record hot, dry summer, multiple heat waves, the first significant rain fell in mid August.