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Text and photographs protected by Copyright © Adrian Hoskins 2007, and must not be published in part or in whole elsewhere without prior written permission from the author.
Butterflies of Britain & Europe
 
Small Copper
Lycaena phlaeas LINNAEUS, 1761
Family - LYCAENIDAE
subfamily - LYCAENINAE
 
 introduction | habitats | lifecycle | adult behaviour
 
Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas, 1st brood male, Ballard Down, Dorset, England
 
Introduction
 

The Small Copper is a very widespread species, occurring in Canada, eastern USA, the Canary Isles, the whole of Europe ( including sub-arctic areas of Scandinavia ), across temperate Asia as far east as Japan, and Africa north of the Sahara.

 

The species also occurs in eastern Africa as far south as Kenya and Malawi, where the usual copper colour is replaced by a golden yellow, which extends across the hindwings.

 

Elsewhere the butterflies adhere more closely in appearance to the insect illustrated above, although there is some variation in the size of the black spots and the width of the dark borders. First brood specimens are generally larger and brighter, and sometimes have a row of tiny sapphire blue spots on the upperside hindwings - this form is known as caeruleapunctata.

 

Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas, 2nd brood female, form caeruleapunctata

 

This species cannot be mistaken for any other British butterfly. In Europe however there are several other Lycaena species - females of hippothoe and tityrus are both similar to phlaeas, so a good field guide is a necessity for less experienced butterfly watchers.

 

In Britain and most of Europe the Small Copper normally produces 2 or 3 broods per year, depending on locality and weather conditions. There is little synchrony between sites however, with the result that the butterfly can be seen at anytime from early April until mid October. In northern Scandinavia it is single-brooded. In the Canary Islands and north Africa it is continuously brooded, producing 5 or more generations per year.

 
Habitats
 
In the British Isles the Small Copper occurs in many different habitats including heaths, calcareous grassland, sand dunes, cliff tops, railway embankments, old quarries, sunny woodland rides, meadows and almost anywhere else where the larval foodplants grow.
 
The butterflies tend to be localised within each habitat. They usually breed in sheltered hollows, or at the bottom of sunny slopes, where vegetation is sparse, and areas of bare ground are available for basking.
 
Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas, 1st brood male, Ballard Down, Dorset, England
 
Lifecycle
 
The eggs look a bit like tiny white golf balls, and are usually laid on sheep's sorrel Rumex acetosella or common sorrel R. acetosa, but I have also watched the butterflies oviposit on curled dock R. crispus. The plants selected are always in sheltered sunlit positions, often at the base of hills. Typically a female will hop about exploring the edges of rabbit scrapes and other areas of bare soil until she locates a suitable sorrel plant. She will lay a single egg on the midrib of the upper surface of a leaf, close to the stem, and then move on to another rabbit scrape to search for another plant. After laying perhaps a dozen eggs on various plants she will then go into "nectaring mode", and spend several minutes visiting flowers in the vicinity. This is usually followed by a resting phase during which she will bask on vegetation or on the bare ground before resuming egg-laying.
 
Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas, ovipositing on sorrel, Stockbridge Down, Hampshire
 
The caterpillars are nocturnal. When young they feed on the lower cuticle of the leaves, leaving small characteristic curved grooves which are visible from above. When older they nibble small oval holes out of the leaves, and turning over suspicious looking leaves often reveals the plump green larva beneath.
 
The progeny of the final brood of the season hibernate as 2nd or 3rd instar larvae at the base of the foodplants. These larvae awaken in early spring to resume feeding, and pupate in late March or early April.
 
In captivity, the larva when ready to pupate, attaches itself with a silk girdle to dead leaves around the base of the foodplant. Whilst it probably also attaches itself to leaf litter in the wild, it is likely that it would wander some distance away from the foodplant to pupate. The pupa is pale olive brown, shiny, with darker speckling. The pupal stage lasts about 3 weeks.
 

Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas, 1st brood male, Ballard Down, Dorset, England

 
Adult behaviour
 
Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas, 1st brood male, Martin Down NNR, Hampshire, England
 
In spring the butterflies often bask on bare ground, periodically visiting various wild flowers for nectar. They strongly favour daisies in preference to other nectar sources, but will also visit ground ivy, dandelions, buttercups and blackthorn blossom. Summer brood adults visit fleabane, ragwort, yarrow, small scabious and marjoram.
 
Males are territorial, and immediately fly up to chase any small insect which enters their domain. I have often seen male and female basking close together on the ground but have not observed the courtship, which probably takes place in early morning, as I have often found copulated Small Coppers in late morning and early afternoon. The butterflies do not normally fly while copulated, but tend to sit on flower heads or foliage, with the wings of both sexes held half open.
 
Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas, 1st brood female, Martin Down NNR, Hampshire, England
 
In dull weather and at night the butterflies roost singly, either sitting upright, or with head-downwards, on low herbage, grass heads or flower heads.
 
                                                       
Almost every British and European species of butterfly is declining rapidly in numbers, due in most cases to loss or degradation of habitats.
 
You can help to reverse the decline by supporting conservation organisations which purchase and manage habitats as nature reserves, and which lobby government at local, national and international levels, often very successfully, to bring about changes in farming, forestry and urban development policies.
 
Please contact the conservation organisations for advice on how you can help protect British and European butterflies and their habitats. You may be able to offer practical help e.g. by monitoring butterfly populations or helping to manage nature reserves. Donations to these organisations enable them to employ ecologists and biologists. Even if you are unable to provide such help, merely having your name on the membership list can be a powerful tool for conservation organisations wishing to demonstrate the levels of support they have for their policies.

 

 
Text and photographs protected by Copyright © Adrian Hoskins 2007-2008, and must not be reproduced or published in part or in whole elsewhere in any form without written permission from Adrian Hoskins. Breach of copyright will be pursued by litigation.
 
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