Hoggers

[Wurzel]

Another interesting report Hoggers - was there any correlation between how long the males held their territories and how many times they mated?
I've had the graph moderated and due to 'improvised ruler useage' I can award you an extra 2 marks

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Hoggers]

Those extra two marks make all the difference to me, Wurzel - If only my other teachers had been so understanding!

Unfortunately, I'm afraid I cannot answer your question but you've certainly given me an idea for next season's project (if I can get the time off work!)

Whilst talking of Small Coppers and their territories I though I'd look over my notebook on the subject.

I guess most of us have seen Small Coppers having a punch up

Always an exciting spectacle

Such speed and agility

I've attempted to photograph these swashbuckling males

Rather blurred but I hope the pictures convey some of the thrill of these high speed dust ups

Whizzing about hot on the heels of the intruder,flying high and low

Flashing like swords brandished in the sun!

Do they intend each other harm?

I don't think so. I've no doubt that damage may result from some of these confrontations (especially at Dungeness where so much activity takes place in and around the brambles) but I cannot think their object is to do harm

It's surely a contest of agility and endurance.

On 27th September this year I got to witness a territorial invasion.

I'd been watching an older male on his patch

He was behaving in the usual way, making quick reccy flights around his domain, performing the mysterious tap dances, nectaring etc

When a much younger male appeared on the scene

The two quickly engaged. The bouts were often lengthy ( up to a minutes' duration ), high and low. I saw the older male rest twice, down on the pebbles, before flying up to the brambles where the younger male waited

In a 45 minute period I counted 28 clashes, after the last of which the older male did not return ( and in fact I recorded the younger as holding on to this territory for the next 5 days )

Most confrontations that I've seen have been briefer affairs in which the intruder has moved on after only a short skirmish with the current territory holder. I'm certainly of the opinion that some male Coppers have a wandering spirit and prefer to be on the move rather than setting up a patch for any length of time.

Fascinating creatures

On a completely different tack, I've got Daffodil, Crocus and Lesser Celandine leaves poking up in my garden and this morning I watched a tadpole swimming about in the pond!

[millerd]

Those action shots really do convey the energy of the skirmishes - better than a video would in that the latter would just have coppery streaks whereas you can see the individuals here getting stuck in! Brilliant stuff.

I also love the last shot with him surveying his domain from the blackberry.

Dave

[Wurzel]

Those action sequence shots are great Hoggers and that final shot is a peach

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Goldie M]

That final shot is brilliant Hogger's and I love the skirmish shots they're great. Goldie

[Hoggers]

Cheers guys, after winning the Bramble patch he spent a lot of time posing and looking pleased with himself.

A Small Copper perched on a Blackberry is irresistible!

Best wishes,

Hoggers.

[David M]

Great sequence again, Hoggers, and yes, that final image is to die for.

[Hoggers]

Thanks for the positive comments,much appreciated.

My aim in these off-season posts has been to open my 2015 notebook and share my observations of Small Copper behaviour.Up until now I've reported on what I've seen the males getting up to so now I'd like to turn to the ladies

I'll begin with what I regard as the most entertaining aspect of female Small Copper behaviour: The Brush Off

Anyone kind enough to have read my diary will now be well aware that Dungeness has a large population of Small Coppers! This presents an enviable opportunity for anyone interested to watch and learn about the UK's most beautiful butterfly

This year I've done as much a I could to do just that

And I've tried to share as much as I've seen and learned but always with the caveat that I am not a scientist, I have no entomological qualifications and, in short, I'm just a beginner ( so if I've got anything wrong, my apologies! )

Anyone interested in seeing any of the behaviour that I've reported need only visit Dungeness on a nice day in season. I have now had the enormous pleasure of watching many female Small Coppers giving unwanted male Small Coppers The Brush Off!

The first thing you'll see is the female walking across the pebbles or over the Brambles, with a lusty male toddling along behind her

Then, if she doesn't like the look of him, she'll go straight into "The Turkey Strut"

Lowering her hind wings, fluttering them quickly, whilst holding her fore wings straight up

She'll usually do this whilst walking away from the male although sometimes I've seen her stand still whilst displaying

This behaviour almost always has an immediate effect on the male : he simply freezes. It's as if an "Off" switch has been thrown in his brain. And it is while he is in this curiously stunned condition that the female will move away and make good her escape. The male will then reactivate and go about his business.

But it does not always work quite so effectively. I have seen some males that do not get the message ( so to speak ) and persist in their attentions, making a through nuisance of themselves. I remember watching one male harass a female, totally ignoring her Brush Off display. She only got away from him by crawling deep into a Bramble where he would not follow and she hid there for 10 minutes before emerging.

But in my experience that sort of thing is the exception - more often than not the male will desist.

I wonder is it the physical display itself that dissuades the male or is she perhaps wafting a chemical signal at him ( which may explain those occasion where I've seen males not respond to the Turkey Strut, ie, she may be running low her supply of the particular chemical )?

I think I'd be impressed with any female that put on a Turkey Strut with me

[bugboy]

Another very fascinating post Hoggers

[Goldie M]

Great observations Hogger's, they never seem to stay long enough for me to observe them in detail, I no sooner take a photo and they fly off.
In the Dunes at Southport I've seen them two years on the trot now in the same place, so going off what you've said this could be a regular site for them, I must try next year to go there again and spend more time with them, I'll also make it a must when I visit Kent to go to Dungeness your Small Copper's seem to be more abundant there .Goldie

[David M]

Fascinating stuff, Hoggers. As you say, it helps that Dungeness has such a strong population so that this behaviour becomes easier to observe.

[Hoggers]

Many thanks for the comments, it's always good to hear from fellow Copper Heads!

As a brief follow on to my last post I'd like to mention a feature of Small Copper behaviour that I've noticed this year and it's the instinct the females have to make themselves inconspicuous when they sense other butterflies are close by.

Female Coppers love to sit on a leaf and bask in the sun for long periods

I was watching one when a Meadow Brown flew directly over her head: her instant reaction was to shut her wings and she remained that way for a time, only re-opening her wings when there was nothing to disturb her.

I once found a female which was unable to fly due to a deformity of her wings. When she became aware of my presence she concealed herself behind a plant stalk and hid there.

The best example I've got of this behaviour was whilst watching a female nectaring on some Ragwort

A male Copper flew in and settled on the same flower head. He paid her no attention at all. But as he flew in her instant reaction was to shut her wings and sit still for 5 seconds

Nothing bothered her, she reopened her wings and resumed nectaring

I've also seen females climb down into the dark shadows of Bramble bushes to get away from males ( the males do not seem to like to leave the sunshine )

So it does seem to be a feature of the female Copper's behaviour although I'd guess it is strongest in those females that have already mated

[David M]

Hoggers, you need to write a scientific paper on Small Coppers!! Your observations are enlightening me and I will remain mindful of them when encountering this species in the future.

[Hoggers]

That's very kind of you to say, David, thank you. I hope you and many others here will get the opportunity to watch Small Coppers next year.

While I carried out my own observation of them I also noticed other butterflies ( Small Heaths and Brown Argus for example ) doing interesting things, so there's plenty of scope to see something you've never seen before.

As for my writing a scientific paper - you've seen my graph !

But I have sent a short letter to "Atropos" magazine describing how male Small Coppers "tap dance" as part of their daily routine and asking if any of the readers know why they do it. The editor replied that it was interesting and they hoped to publish it in the next edition once it had been looked at by a butterfly expert-so I hope to get an answer fairly soon!

Best wishes

Hoggers

[Hoggers]

I always feel an enormous pleasure whenever I find a mating pair of Small Coppers

Given the size of the Dungeness population and the many hours I've spent there watching Small Coppers it is interesting to note how rarely I come across them (only four times this year)

How they end up that way is itself an interesting topic: just what does Small Copper courtship amount to?

My previous posts have shown how non-receptive females deal with undesired males, ie, The Turkey Strut. No mating takes place and the butterflies go their separate ways.

But here's an example of a female who when approached by a male did NOT go into Turkey Strut mode

The males gymnastic efforts however went unrewarded as she flew off with him in pursuit. I could not re-find them and so do not know whether they successfully coupled.

However, here's another similar situation where again the female did not do the Turkey Strut

where matters progressed further.

I had not seen any chase prior to this behaviour but there might very well have been.

When I come across a mated pair I take a note of how long they remain coupled while I'm there. These two were already together when I found them

and remained joined for 10 minutes thereafter

when they simply walked away from each other and went their separate ways

Another pair that I found this year

remained coupled for 22 minutes when, for no reason apparent to me, they took off as one and flew away

This took me completely by surprise and in my clumsy efforts to chase after them I stumbled and fell, grazing my chin on the pebbles. At my age I really should know better..

But in observing these two I noticed the female repeatedly pushing against the male with her hind legs whilst at the same time heaving herself forwards ( as if she were attempting to disconnect herself from him ). The male did nothing despite her continual efforts.

And this put me in mind of a pair I photographed in 2014

You can see the female pushing with her hind leg, just as the female in the above photographs taken this year.

And if you look at the pair on the Ragwort (below) you can see she is also giving him a shove with her hind legs.

So this behaviour of the female when mated whereby she will push against the male seems to be established.

I wonder why she's doing it?

The more I watch Small Coppers, the more questions I ask!

Nonetheless, a mating pair is a lovely sight

And a sign that all's right with the Small Copper World

[David M]

More illuminating stuff, Hoggers. I intend to keep an eye out next year to see if any other species indulge in this practice. The obvious assumption is that she's trying to tell him that his work is done!!

[Hoggers]

I think that's right, David. It's the female Copper that first senses when the "job's done" and she then lets the male know that it's time to go.

I've seen pairs coupled for at least 10-22 minutes,during which time they must be vulnerable and so the female's practical turn of mind makes as much sense in the Small Copper world as it does in our own

[David M]

The word 'vulnerable' is important here, Hoggers. Why are they mating on exposed stonework? They have no cover whatsoever. I saw Mountain Ringlets doing this in the Alps last July, which was why I was able to locate and photograph them. Doesn't seem to make any sense.

[Hoggers]

I've all but finished emptying my 2015 Small Copper notebook. I learned a lot this year. I managed to throw some light on a few questions that I'd asked myself before the season began,for example, how long will a male hold a territory and just what do Small Coppers do all day?

I had a few surprises along the way, ie, in the past I'd seen male Small Coppers doing acrobatics down grass stems (the "tap dance')but I had never really thought about it. This year I discovered that it is not just one off behaviour but is in fact a set behavioural routine carried out by the males. I always assumed that the lifespan of an adult Copper was very brief, I'd guess 2 weeks at the most, but then I found a male that lived for at least 30 days. I also for the first time observed the curious display that females exhibit when trying to shake off the attentions of amorous males (the "turkey strut").

Practically everything I learned gave rise to further questions: why do males "tap dance"? Is it the female's "Turkey Strut" display that dissuades the male or is she wafting a chemical "Stop" signal at him? And so on.. So plenty more to discover. I'd like to carry out more observations of male territory holding but I work full time and from the look of my 2016 diary I'll be lucky to get half the hours I had this year to watch Small Coppers.

Anyway,one thing I'd never seen before this year was egg-laying.I quickly discovered, however,that female Coppers intent on egg-laying are very easy to spot. You will see her trundling across the ground paying careful attention to the Sorrel. She will occasionally fly, low, but not far, before continuing her investigations and will be very approachable. So different is this behaviour from that of the males that you can easily identify a female from a distance. Get up close and you'll see her lower her antennae and tap them against the Sorrel leaf. Often she will go through the motions of laying but not deposit anything

But if you're lucky you'll see her lay one of her beautiful eggs

[Goldie M]

Hi! Hogger's I'd a great Christmas in Kent but the weather followed us down there, it was mild but boy was it windy, one day out of the week, maybe two were reasonable, hope it's better this Summer,
Happy New Year Goldie