The comma is a common butterfly, with a ragged shape unlike any other UK species.
It is a camouflage expert. When it closes its wings, it looks like a brown leaf with a tiny white crescent. This marking gives the Comma its name.
Expanding northwards due to warmer springs and summers, the Comma hibernates in hedges during the winter. It has bounced back from severe decline in the 19th and 20th centuries.
It appears that Comma caterpillars exposed to more sunlight will emerge with a different ‘imago’ (butterfly appearance). As a result, the late-season, hibernating individuals are darker and more faded. This response is called photoperiodism.
Sources
Briggs, Mike and Peggy Briggs, The Natural History of the British Isles (UK: Parragon, 2011) p 68
Lewington, Richard, Pocket Guide to the Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland, 2nd ed. (London: Bloomsbury Wildlife, 2015) p 102
Tolman, Tom and Richard Lewington, Collins Butterfly Guide (London: HarperCollins, 2009) p 180
wildwildweb.org 
You must be logged in to post a comment.