(Linnaeus, 1758)
Scarce Copper
Description:
It would be difficult to miss the beautiful and conspicuous Scarce Copper. The white patches on the underside of the hindwing distinguish it from other coppers. It prefers sheltered, flower-rich grassland in or near woods. The female visits a wide range of composites, especially Golden-rod (Solidago virgaureae) from where it gets its species name.
The female lays her eggs at the base of the flowering stems of all sorts of sorrel (Rumex spp.). The eggs do not hatch until the following spring when the small caterpillars make a good meal of the new, fresh vegetation.
It has one generation a year.
Habitat:
Mixed woodland
Mesophile grasslands
Humid grasslands
Similar species:
Lycaena dispar
Lycaena hippothoe
Lycaena alciphron
Lycaena tityrus