Page 271 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

BUTTERFLY CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Nymphalidae
DISTRIBUTION North Africa, Europe, central Asia, Siberia, northern India,
eastern China, and Japan
HABITAT Woodlands, especially glades, rides, and margins; also hedgerows
and gardens
HOST PLANTS Various, including nettle (Urtica spp.), currants (Ribes spp.),
and sometimes willow (Salix spp.)
NOTE Caterpillar that looks like a bird dropping in later instars
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated, but common and increasingly widespread

ADULT WINGSPAN
1⅝–1⅞ in (42–47 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH

1⅜ in (35 mm)
POLYGONIA C-ALBUM
COMMA 269
(LINNAEUS, 1758)

Comma caterpillars hatch from eggs laid singly, near the edge
of the upper surface of leaves. Over the two or three weeks
before they hatch, the eggs turn from green to yellow to gray.
The newly emerged larvae move to the underside of the leaf,
where they start feeding, and then the older caterpillars move
back to the upper surface, protected to some extent by their Actual size
bird-dropping appearance. The caterpillars pupate on the host
plant or nearby vegetation, suspended beneath a twig or stem;
the pupae darken to resemble withered leaves.

The adults, which eclose within three weeks, can be seen almost
any time of year as overwintering adults may become active on

warm winter days. The rst generation appears in early summer,
while in late summer there is a second generation of adults much
darker in color. In the southernmost part of the Comma’s range,
there may be a third generation. This is one of the few species
that has an expanding range as a result of a warming climate.

The Comma caterpillar is dark brown to black,
with orange markings on the thorax and along
the sides, and a large patch of white on the
dorsal surface. There are bands of long
tubercles that bear spines.