Wildlife lovers are being urged to help chart the progress of comma butterflies, labelled the “comeback kid” after seeing populations soar 138% in 40 years.
At the turn of the 20th century, the “exquisite” comma, which has distinctive ragged wing edges, was restricted to a few counties in the Welsh borders and South East England, but has since become a butterfly success story.
Since the 1970s, it has spread north 250 miles throughout England, Wales and the Isle of Man into southern and eastern Scotland.
As part of this year’s Big Butterfly Count, wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation and the Canal & River Trust are asking people to look out for and record commas on canals and riversides to see how they are faring now.
Experts believe a combination of climate change and the butterfly’s increased use of nettles as a food plant for its caterpillars may be behind the expansion in its range.
But in the last decade, the apparently unstoppable rise of the comma has experienced a bit of a bump, with poor years in 2012 and 2016, conservationists said.
Among the wide variety of habitats where adult commas are found, they can be spotted feeding on brambles, thistles and knapweed along rivers and canals, and their caterpillars feed on nettles and hops in the same areas.
It is hoped results from the Big Butterfly Count will help track the ongoing spread of commas and shed more light on their long-term population fluctuations.
It encourages people to spot and record 18 species of common butterflies and two day-flying moths during three weeks of the summer.
Butterfly Conservation president Sir David Attenborough said: “Canals and rivers are fantastic locations for many species of butterfly.
“The comma is one of our most exquisite butterflies and hearteningly is also something of a butterfly success story.
“Help conservationists track the comma’s expansion by looking out for it by canals and riverbanks during this summer’s Big Butterfly Count.”
The Big Butterfly Count runs until August 6, and people can take part by finding a sunny spot, spending 15 minutes counting the butterflies they see and then submitting sightings online at or via the count’s free app.
