Comma Butterfly North Fife

Today I was amazed to notice this Comma butterfly on ragwort in the garden. Polygonia c-album was only 100 years ago almost extinct in Britain. The reason for its decline is still a mystery, but from 1830 to 1920 sightings in the southern counties of England were reduced to just one or two. It wasn't until around 1930 that numbers started to increase. Today the comma is a familiar sight in southern England and Wales and now Scotland. Its food plants are Birch, Elm, Willow and Nettle all of which are in the garden. The most common visitor this year has been large and small whites which have decimated our cabbages. It was a delight to see, the butterfly, not the cabbages.



This classic guide to the butterflies of Britain and northern Europe enters its third edition as part of the authoritative Collins Guide series. This comprehensive guide to the butterflies of Britain and Europe features over 400 species, depicting both male and female insects. Species descriptions include details on taxonomic nomenclature, distribution, flight period, variation, habitat, behaviour and life cycle. Subspecies are included where there is significant variation, and distribution maps accompany each widespread species. Illustrated by Richard Lewington, the world's leading butterfly illustrator, this is an ideal field guide for travelling naturalists and butterfly enthusiasts alike and is an essential addition to every nature lover's bookshelves.Collins Butterfly Guide: The Most Complete Field Guide to the Butterflies of Britain and Europe