(Linnaeus, 1761)
Small Copper
Description:
The Small Copper is a very common, wide-ranging butterfly. It is found on all sorts of grasslands and heathlands, roadsides and along the banks of canals. The butterflies often visit flowers, and the males, perched on a tall blade of grass, defend their territory fiercely, flying out at other males of its sort.
Eggs are laid on different sorts of sorrel, mainly Common Sorrel (Rumex acetosa). In the absence of sorrel, Knotgrass (Polygonum aviculare) serves as a larval food plant.
This butterfly species overwinters as a caterpillar. In the north of its range, the Small Copper has two generations a year, whereas in the southern part, it may have three or four.
Habitat:
Dry siliceous grasslands
Dry calcareous grasslands
Coastal sand-dunes
Heath and shrub
Mesophile grasslands
Similar species:
Lycaena helle