Small Copper

Fascinating facts about the Small Copper

• The small copper is a holarctic butterfly, found across Europe, Asia, North America and extending from North Africa down to Ethiopia. In the British Isles it occurs in almost every locality of south-central England and Wales, although it never appears in large numbers.
• Male small coppers establish tiny sun-lit patches as territories and defend them with great vigor, chasing away any rival male or passing insect. They are most active in bright sunshine and will even react to the fleeting shadow of a large bird flying overhead.
• The female lays each egg singly and conspicuously on the upper surface of a host-plant leaf, positioning it where the future caterpillar can easily reach the underside. Once hatched, the larva feeds on the leaf underside, chewing out translucent "windows" while leaving the upper epidermis intact. After several growth stages it pupates in the leaf litter, where ants are thought to tend the pupa, providing protection during this vulnerable stage.
• The small copper usually produces two to three generations each year, but the number drops in more northern parts of its range. In especially favourable southern summers a rare fourth generation can develop, extending the flight period well into late autumn. Adults from this late brood have even been recorded still on the wing in November, showing how flexible the species' breeding cycle can become when conditions allow.
• Female small coppers are typically orange-butted with dark borders, yet a distinct form displays a striking row of blue spots just inside the orange edge of the hindwings, a variation known as caeruleopunctata. The upper side of the forewings carries bright orange colouration, a dark outer border and eight or nine black spots, while the underside mirrors this pattern but with a paler overall tone.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Small Copper

As the warmth of sunlight dances across the landscape, the Small Copper butterfly stirs, its iridescent wings beating with a furious intensity as it flits from bloom to bloom, drinking in the sweetness of the world with an insatiable hunger. With a delicate, gem-like beauty, this tiny creature navigates the intricate tapestry of its surroundings, its bright orange wings flashing like tiny beacons as it darts and weaves through the undergrowth. In its fleeting, whirling dance, the Small Copper embodies the very essence of summer's vitality, a spark of life that ignites the senses and reminds us of the beauty that lies just beyond our grasp.

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