Comma

Name: Comma

Scientific name: Polygonia c-album

Category: Minibeasts

Nature Stars: 50

What are nature stars?

About: A medium sized butterfly, orange and dark brown in colour with a wingspan of about 6 cm. Adults fly throughout the year in several broods, overwintering as adults. A common and widespread butterfly of woodland edges, particularly during the spring and autumn. Caterpillars feed on stinging nettles.

How to identify: The ragged shaped wings make this butterfly unmistakeable.

Where: Found across England and Wales, but only just spreading into southern Scotland.

Natural Superpowers

• Predator: 10
• Agility: 70
• Rarity: 30
• Cute factor: 60
• Traveller: 70

Fantastic fact: This was once a very rare butterfly restricted to the Welsh borders. However, in the past 30 years or so the Comma has spread and become a common butterfly of woodland edges.

Photograph credit: Keith Warmington/www.warmies.co.uk