| Family | Nymphalidae |
|---|---|
| Subfamily | Nymphalinae |
| Genus | Polygonia |
| Species | c-album |
| Authority | (Linnaeus, 1758) |
| English Name | Comma |
| European Red List 2010 | Least Concern (LC) |
|---|---|
| EU 27 Red List 2010 | Least Concern (LC) |
| European Red List 2025 | Least Concern (LC) |
| EU 27 Red List 2025 | Least Concern (LC) |
| Habitats Directive | |
| Bern Convention | |
| CITES |
The Comma is a butterfly of wood edges and clearings in wood, except in very dry places. It is easily recognized by the deep indentations in the margins of its wings, and the small white comma on the otherwise dusky underside of the hindwing. Eggs are laid on many different plant species, like Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica), bramble (Rubus spp.), elm (Ulmus spp.), willow (Salix spp.), Hazel (Corylus avellana), and Hop (Humulus lupulus). The caterpillar is solitary, brownish-black with long spines and a broad white stripe on his back towards the rear, making it look like a bird dropping. The pupa hangs from the foodplant on a small stalk. The butterflies hibernate in hollow trees, hedgerows, and shrubs. In large parts of Europe it is double-brooded. However, in Scandinavia it only has one generation, and in warm locations in Spain and Greece, it can have three.
Albania / Andorra / Austria / Belarus / Belgium / Belgium: Flanders / Belgium: Wallonia / Bosnia and Herzegovina / Bulgaria / Croatia / Czechia / Denmark / Estonia / Finland / France / France: Mainland / France: Corsica / Germany / Greece / Greece: Mainland / Greece: East Aegean Islands / Hungary / Ireland / Italy / Italy: Mainland / Italy: Sardinia / Italy: Sicily / Latvia / Liechtenstein / Lithuania / Luxembourg / North Macedonia / Moldova / Montenegro / Netherlands / Norway / Poland / Portugal / Portugal: Mainland / Romania / European Russia / San Marino / Serbia / Serbia: Serbia / Serbia: Kosovo / Slovakia / Slovenia / Spain / Spain: Mainland / Sweden / Switzerland / European Türkiye / Ukraine / United Kingdom / United Kingdom: Great Britain / United Kingdom: Northern Ireland (Irregular Vagrant) / United Kingdom: Isle of Man / United Kingdom: Guernsey / United Kingdom: Jersey /