looduskalender.ee

Comma butterfly

 

 

The comma butterfly is considered as a forest species but because of its very good flying ability and – not less important – its longevity we can meet it in quite unexpected places, even near human settlements. A widely occurring, quite common butterfly in Estonia.

 

The brown-flecked, brightly orange-brown wings of the butterfly have dark spots and a dark edge, with an eyecatching jagged margin. On the dark brown undersides of the wings we notice a C-shaped white pattern – hence the somewhat strange Latin name of the comma butterfly. The wingspan can be up to 5 centimetres.

 

This year’s generation of adults was hatched in July, and go on flying even in September. They winter in withered grass or miss. We can see those that wintered as imagos in April next year and some worn specimens still in early June.

 

The behaviour of the males shows some moderate aggressiveness – they hold their territory and even other butterfly species are sent off, except female comma individuals.
 

An exceptionally wide-spread butterfly species whom we may meet from central Finland and Scandinavia until the Mediterranean.