23 September 2026

Butterfly sighting
freshly emerged Comma 23.09.2026
Butterfly sighting
Comma - pupal exuviae attached to wheelie bin 23.09.2026
Report Details
Yesterday while tidying up the garden I found a Comma chrysalis attached to our brown wheelie bin! I was concerned that it was in such a vulnerable situation and considered transferring it to somewhere safer, but when I went to have a look this morning I was amazed to see a freshly emerged adult Comma clasping the exuviae! It flew off shortly afterwards. On Sunday 20th September while walking on Worthing pier I noticed several fast flying butterflies coming in off the sea. One that flew close by was a Painted Lady and I think the others were Red Admirals. On Monday 21st, Clouded Yellows were plentiful on Cissbury Ring and several Wall Brown were also observed. On 22nd, a tatty Wall Brown was seen in my old Ferring garden - an unusual sighting at this location.

Reporter: Tim Freed
Location: Ferring by Sea  — TQ091022

Reviewer Comments
Jim, that's a brilliant photo of the recently-emerged Comma. I'm sure you are right about the Red Admirals (what else are they likely to be?) and it's a very interesting record, adding to our knowledge about the migratory habits of this species. At this time of the year most Red Admirals are heading south and flying towards France, whilst some are still arriving on the Sussex coast. As for the Wall Brown, yet another very interesting record. This species had an excellent third brood in 2025 with records for 25 different locations in Sussex, including East Worthing, Central Worthing and Goring. This year we have one in Ferring. They are on the move!  Martin K