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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

I'm careful where I tread when I visit Dungeness Although their reputation for pugnacity is well deserved there are times when young blades just hang out and chill However, I saw a number of brawls today and on two occasions watched a male Copper approach another male on the ground as if approaching a female to mate with: the importuned male fluttered his wings at speed and the misguided male then stopped his advances. So I'm now sure that when a Copper flutters his or her wings at another this is a behavioural response to unwanted attention and is understood by Coppers to mean "Stop. Leave me alone".

I visited the egg laid last saturday:

I wonder what happens now? The leaf has died. Presumably the egg is ok and the caterpillar will wriggle across to another leaf? But shouldn't it have hatched by now?

A second egg ( laid last monday ) is doing better I caught sight of a mating pair being harassed by a lone male He was repeatedly attempting to couple with the engaged female The pair flew off eventually and were left in peace Note how she is pushing and tapping him with her back legs She then performed an about face The male pulled away and flew off. I saw them coupled for 12 minutes

While watching them I noticed that I had been trousered by a gaudy little fly with disco lights for eyes. I thought little of this until that is I realised that it was biting me!

Four wings: Good Two wings: Bad I also saw this Small Tortoiseshell with a lot of white on it While wandering about in my customary aimless way I glanced down into the grass and saw the most extraordinary Small Copper that I have ever seen She was soaking up what sunshine there was. Although partially obscured by the grass I took a series of photos for fear of disturbing her if I attempted to do a little "gardening" in order to have a clear shot I've never seen anything like her before I'm glad I took the photos when I did because she suddenly zipped off and I lost her in the strong breeze. What a find!

My Copper-O-Meter expired at an amazing 244 today And as if I hadn't had enough treats today, on my amble back to my car I found this beauty Almost no orange on the hind wings at all A first for me.

A day of Copper-Bottomed Butterflying

Good Lord Hoggers - I really have no words!!! You have rendered me speechless and that doesn't happen often What on earth is going on there? I can't wait to see what you're going to turn up next

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 To another To another To another! I still don't know what to make of this one The wind was blowing so strongly I knew I'd have no chance finding her if she took flight and so had to settle for poor views. And as it turned out she did disappear after breaking cover. I spent nearly an hour trying to re-find her but couldn't.

Still, I've no complaints: I had more than my fair share of good luck yesterday!

Hi Hoggers,
Blimey you,ve really turned up some crackers at Dungie,i,ve missed being there myself, Had some good moments in Cornwall,which I,ll tell you about when I see you
but I will say ,not a single Copper,and I did try ! Still your Coppers....... I reckon your" Radiata type" is AB; Obseleta ,and the other is similar to Brunnescens,but I,m not sure on this one,two brilliant finds,the other one with the reduced hind wing bar,i believe you found a similar individual in the first brood,and I found a female (which I posted) as well, these types seem to be turning up more regularly. Regards Allan.W.

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

The second brood of Small Coppers at Dungeness has been running since 19th June Most are still in fine condition
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 watched it being laid on 4th July, this is what I found today It looks like the caterpillar has eaten its way out of the shell. From all that I've read about Small Copper caterpillars I'd expected to find it close by on the same leaf as the egg but I could see no sign of it.

The males were highly active: on the watch out for trouble And finding it I found another sooty individual It became very warm indeed My Copper-O-Meter reached a dizzying 291 This is my highest Copper Head Count ever, but it's only a fraction of the true number present and flying at Dungeness!

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 It was very cloudy but also very warm This route took me out into "The Desert" ( or as I like to think of it, "The Forbidden Zone"..) and Coppers there were aplenty Ranging in condition from this To this (how he managed to get airborne I've no idea)

I saw females creating a stir

And came upon this chap with a pale right wing (something I see now and again)

I counted 224 Coppers ( can anyone help me with the name of the flower he's perched on? It's very common at Dungeness and smells of lemon! )

I dropped into the Moat on my way to the car: lots of Coppers including this sooty chap And in complete contrast to him, while gazing at the brambles I saw what looked like a little white Copper Closer up I could see he was very pale indeed Do you think he started off as a much paler than normal and has become even more so through wear and tear, or that he is a typical individual and has lost most of his colour through wear?

I've seen a total of 515 Small Coppers at Dungeness this weekend Which I'm sure is just a fraction of the total population

Hi Hoggers,
Your plant is wood sage(teucrium scorodonia),as you say ,very common at Dungie . regards Allan.W.

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 there were many more)

This weekend saw a slight dropping off in numbers from last week's highs but nonetheless they are still plentiful

Here are some photos from yesterday What do you make of this female? Looks like the ink has smudged I counted 135 Coppers Today I counted 148 Small Coppers Including this sooty one I saw this gorgeous extensa blue badge male in the moat Allan joined me and were able to re-find him What a stunner! And here's an "almost" extensa I found later After a good chat, Allan had to go. I continued searching for Coppers then sat down for breakfast ( marmite and banana sandwiches..!) when Allan came running up with news that he'd just found a pristine female radiata! I duly postponed breakfast and followed Allan to where he'd last seen her being chased by a tatty old male Copper.

No sign of her. Allan couldn't stay any longer but left me with a good idea of where to look and about 30 minutes later there she was! That's the best photo I managed to take of her: she flew up into the gusty breeze, was intercepted by a male and the two of them vanished!

Still, no complaints from me: I'd seen her! Thanks for generously making the effort to come back and find me Allan, much appreciated.

And as for other entertainment, there were plenty of fights going on A Super-Copper-Lishous Weekend!

Hello Hoggers,
Enjoyed our chat on Sunday,and really pleased that you re- found the "Radiata "type female, actually not quite a "Radiata" but near enough,and still a cracking aberration !
my mistake ! That "Extensa" with the blue spots was a beauty,and I did get a glimpse of him as well which was a bit of luck,as you,ve said ,numbers were slightly down on last weekend( I,d be surprised if I ever better it ),but still very high numbers ,I,ve only seen one other Copper this season ,away from Dungeness,i,ve yet to visit the Brookland site which generally has a few (as you know),the dusky individual that you posted was also very unusual,even the orange base colour was different to the norm ! nice find .
Regards Allan.W.

There were lots of butterflies at Dungeness this morning: the Brown Argus are very noticable and Common Blue Marbled Whites, Painted Lady (4), Red Admiral, Peacock, and a profusion of Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper including this lightly coloured one As for the Coppers, overall they're looking scuffed and dented but still a reasonable number in presentable condition I watched several females go into their "Turkey Strut" routine when warding off males and I saw a male perform the "Stalk Dance".

I saw a Sooty on the brambles And this chap reminded me of the "extensa" I saw with Allan last week My Copper-O-Meter reached 133 today

Hi! Hogger's, fantastic ab's you found and i can't believe all those lovely SC's you've counted especially when we've yet to see one up here
We should have been down your way this week but my Husband's not been too well so we've put the Journey off for a few day's so here's hoping we'll be down there shortly. Goldie

Hi Hoggers,

I have only seen one Small Copper so far this year and that was a tired and worn example in Scotland. Last year was also a bad year for them around here and second brood didn't show up until late July so I am hoping to have a look for them next week. Until then I will have to rely on your PD to remind me what a beautiful and characterful little butterfly they are.

Cheers,

Neil

Hi Goldie, I'm sure you'll see plenty: the second brood is looking rather worn now but numbers are high and still some fresh ones to be found.

Hi Neil, good luck finding yourself a local Copper (or two) next week. I visited Dungeness late morning today with a friend of mine, Brian, who has begun to take an interest in Small Coppers. It was rather too hot for my liking but at least we had no trouble finding plenty of butterflies As for Small Coppers, of the 91 that I counted today most showed varying degrees of wear One male put on a "stalk dance" display for us, much to Brian's amusement He also got to see a female do the "turkey strut' and I was able to show him a Small Copper egg too ( so rather a crash course in Small Coppers!) Hoggers.

Hi Hoggers,
Had a late visit myself today,fewer Coppers on the wing than in the last couple of weeks, was around the moat /station fence area , for about 45 mins ,and managed around 50, mostly worn specimens but with about 4-5 still in good nick . I did see a very pale individual,very similar to yours,but didn,t manage a picture, I think the second brood is definitely on the way down now. Regards Allan.W.

Hello Allan, the second brood is definitely on the wane, but what a second brood it was! Numbers reached a staggering high over the weekend of 16/17th July when I counted over 500 Small Coppers.That will take a lot of beating!

I walked my usual route today in sunny and very windy conditions. Small Coppers were easy to come by but it soon became clear that their general condition is poor Life amongst the Bramble takes its toll!

It sometimes felt alittle like early Autumn Although the Blackberries are not yet ripe.

Some wraith-like individuals still haunting their territories Plenty of Brown Argus and Common Blues The Copper-O-Meter reached 65 today. Most were battle-scarred but still a few smart ones to be found The best Copper I came upon today was this stunner If past years are any guide we should begin to see the numbers of fresh Coppers begin to rise very soon.

All the best,

Hoggers.

Coppering conditions at Dungeness were much better today with bags of sunshine and just a polite whiffle of breeze in place of yesterday's rude wind.

Tough survivors of the second brood continue to hang on with great determination Most are bashed, dented and worn but by no means defeated Just a few finer individuals amongst the Old Bangers I liked this male, in good condition, whose wing markings border on "extensa" Others are less glamorous but still delightful Butterflies were numerous including Brown Argus Red Admiral, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell And Painted Lady My Star Copper of the Day was this gorgeous fully qualified "extensa" The fourth "extensa" I've seen this year My Copper-O-Meter reached a very respectable 110 today

Hi Hoggers,
Another cracking ab; nice find,Dungeness is turning up some very unusual specimens this year,i think that's your sixth Extensa (type) this year isn,t it ? I,ve managed three,was hoping for an early morning there this Sunday,but don,t think I,m going to be able to unfortunately.I,m surprised you still managed to see a hundred plus. In the week I found my second Small Copper of the year away from Dungeness ! Regards Allan.W.

Wow the sheer extent of the variation is quite astounding Hoggers - you're building up one hell of a 'collection' it almost rivals the Cockayne!

Have a goodun

Wurzel