Thanks for the plant ID,Allan. Good to see you today at Small Copper Central ( Dungeness ) ! These last two weeks have been crazy: I've never seen such high numbers of Small Coppers at Dungeness. Last weekend they were everywhere ( I did my best to count them and got to over 500, but without a doubt...

What a great selection of Coppers, Allan! And that certainly looks like the one I saw last week, such a very odd looking Copper!

Hoggers

Inspired by yesterday's Copper Head Count I returned today and walked a different route, just to get an idea of Small Copper second brood numbers present on the reserve IMG_0141.JPG It was very cloudy but also very warm IMG_0153.JPG This route took me out into "The Desert" ( or as I like t...

The second brood of Small Coppers at Dungeness has been running since 19th June IMG_0055.JPG Most are still in fine condition IMG_0015.JPG IMG_0034.JPG IMG_0070.JPG IMG_0080.JPG but I wasn't surprised to find an increasing number that are now very worn and battle-scarred. I looked in on my egg: I wa...

Hi Allan thanks for the aberration IDs - finding them was just good luck.

I'm looking forward to hearing about your recent trip

See you soon

Hoggers

Hi Pauline, it was a very exciting day indeed! I suppose with a Copper population so large it's bound to produce the odd funny one now and again. Yesterday I also found a Copper with an unusually broad hind-wing band ( something I've seen before ) : so in this second brood I've gone from one extreme...

A couple of highly unusual Small Coppers at Dungeness today: These were among the 244 Small Coppers I saw there today

Happy Hunting

Hoggers

I'm careful where I tread when I visit Dungeness IMG_9913.JPG Although their reputation for pugnacity is well deserved there are times when young blades just hang out and chill IMG_9979.JPG However, I saw a number of brawls today and on two occasions watched a male Copper approach another male on th...

So there are Small Coppers outside of Dungeness!!

I was beginning to wonder !

Wonderful photos as always, Pauline

Hoggers

Hi Phil, yes there were 7 Coppers in that one photo - certainly unusual to see so many together and not having a punch up!

I think they were slightly boozed up on the Privet nectar!

Hoggers.

Hi Kev, I hope you find some Coppers. I'm sad to say that they've become rather scarce of late ( Dungeness being the exception ).

I was thinking about my "homing" Copper : I guess if Honey Bees can do it so can Small Coppers!

Hoggers

Hi Goldie: end of July/ beginning of August, you'll be fine. I usually get counts of 30-40 Coppers during that period.

Best wishes

Hoggers

I spent some time watching a male Small Copper IMG_9689.JPG At one point he went tearing off after another male which had trespassed onto his patch. I watched them in fast tumbling aerial dispute until they disappeared from sight. I've seen this sort of encounter many times before and noted that whe...

Here's a couple of male Small Coppers ( one from today, the other from yesterday ) both at Dungeness, showing reduced orange bands on the hind wings I counted 109 Small Coppers there today ( 141 yesterday ) Best wishes,

Hoggers

I'm not sure what the collective term for a congregation of Coppers is: IMG_9591.JPG ( a " S.W.A.T Team" ? ) Amongst this lot I found a female with a nice pattern of blue badges IMG_9619.JPG And another male with reduced orange on the hind-wings IMG_9604.JPG IMG_9612.JPG Very attractive in...

As I write it is absolutely tipping down with rain and very dark. It couldn't be more different to this morning when for a few hours at Dungeness it was Blue Sky Coppering all the way IMG_9522.JPG June had me so accustomed to Coppering in the Rain that to look up and see nothing but blue sky and fai...

My copy of the latest Butterfly Conservation magazine arrived today and I saw in it a sad little article about the decline of the Small Copper population in the UK IMG_9253.JPG I am very lucky to live so close to the Dungeness Nature Reserve where, even on a day like today when the weather was not b...

I popped down to Dungeness late morning for an hour's Coppering IMG_9223.JPG They have become so numerous as to be unmissable IMG_9238.JPG And all in lovely condition IMG_9241.JPG I came across a nice Blue Badger IMG_9227.JPG I tried to find my long staying male but his patch now seems occupied by a...

Hi, thanks for the comments guys and I will look into the software Allan. Yesterday I counted 22 Small Coppers and had the feeling that they were emerging around me. Well, today on the same walk the Copper-O-Meter peaked at 59 ! IMG_9119.JPG It really is fascinating to watch a colony of butterflies ...

Hi Goldie, you asked me about Brown Hairstreaks in Kent and I wasn't much help (pure ignorance I'm afraid) but I bumped into AllanW today who's far more "in the loop" than me and he mentioned BH's recently having been discovered in North Kent, so maybe you could send him a message? Best wi...