I had meant to include a few photographs of Small Coppers in this report, so I am adding these on as a post-script. During my travels in Greece, both on the mainland and on the islands, I have often noticed how much darker the Small Coppers tend to be than those we see in the UK, and yet I rarely see much reference made to this by others.
Leraut mentions that the predominance of darker forms increases as one proceeds towards eastern Europe, and both Pamperis and T&L mention the increase in darker forms in second and third generations.
My experience in Greece is also that the "blue-badged" form caeruleopunctata is much more common in most Greek populations, and when combined with the darkness, this can result in some highly attractive individuals. Here are three from our trip:
