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Great Small Copperer shots, Hoggers and the last one is a real stunner

Mike

Lovely shots. Wish I could see one - they seem to have gone missing from my neck of the woods.

Brill Coppers Hoggers 23 in one sitting is a massive number of them The tailed last specimen is a cracker

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Hi Hoggers, some cracking Small Coppers there, particularly that last one. Yours are well in front of those I am seeing here in the midlands, still on second brood here although they are past their best now.

Hoggers wrote: ...I had only a quick glimpse of this unusual looking chap before he flew up and disappeared on the wind...

I reckon that chap is a girlie which is why she looks a bit different the females tend to be a bit larger and paler.

Cheers,

Neil.

Many thanks for the kind comments and also for the ID on that Copper, Neil. Until you pointed that out I'd thought the sexes were indistinguishable!

The weather forecast for tomorrow is pretty grim so it looked like I'd better make the most of today if I was going to see any butterflies at all this holiday weekend.

I've yet to see any Silver-spotted Skippers this year so I naturally thought of a visit to Lydden but yet again I felt Dungeness calling to me with the prospect of seeing Small Coppers in good numbers, so that's where I went!

I was met by a lovely Humming-bird Hawk Moth And very soon after I came across my first Small Copper of the day Last week I counted 23 And this week I counted 23 ! My favourite of the day was this chap with his bold black markings Very handsome indeed There were several Small Tortoiseshells and Red Admirals about and many worn Common Blues Along the beach I counted 7 Clouded Yellows Here's one flying past I was also delighted to find a Painted Lady Those eye-spots on the forewings give it a particularly Owl-like stare (It put me in mind of Alan Garner's "The Owl Service"!)

It was good to see Clouded Yellows I saw lots of Small Coppers in their last generation of the year And I tried to make the most of them I'm not looking forward to all that rain tomorrow!

Some absolutely fantastic Small Copper photos there Hoggers, that boldly marked individual is a stunner

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Thanks Wurzel, that Small Copper really stood out.

I had the chance to go back to Dungeness today to see the Small Coppers It was breezy there but warm at first During my walk I counted no less 32 Small Coppers This one, a female I believe, really caught my eye Not only because of the colouring on the forewings but because the band on her hindwing is striking and unusual.

I was lucky to find two members of the SCBBC (Small Copper Blue Badge Club) Always a bonus As for other butterflies I saw Small Tortoiseshells, Red Admirals, Meadow Browns, Small Whites, Common Blues and a Clouded Yellow (Also the Humming-bird Hawk Moth that I saw on Sunday was still there.)

It started to cloud over and fell cold surprisingly quickly so I headed for home but at least I'd managed to see some beautiful butterflies

More stunning Coppers Hoggers Those blue spots are great - is the one with the unusual margin band is a bit like a "radiata" only not, if that makes sense Definitely something not usual

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Fantastic Coppers with gorgeous blue spots and that female is stunning and unusual

Wow! This species is clearly thriving at that location. Lovely shots once again, which are a continual reminder of how FEW I've seen in 2014.

Cracking Coppers there Hoggers! Did you see these at the RSPB site or near the power station?

Hi All, many thanks for your comments. I'm glad you liked the "Blue Badgers" Pauline, it really makes my day when I find one.

The female was a stunner It was a bit like a radiata wasn't it, Wurzel? Here's a close-up of the hindwing Very nice indeed.

They clearly thrive at Dungeness, David. I will easily count 70+ on a walk at the height of the season, there must be hundreds. I don't know if a formal count is ever made but I wonder if there are any other locations that support such a larger population of Small Coppers.

Hi EssexB, thanks for your comments. I find all my Coppers around the power station,the black lighthouse, the bird observatory and the trapping area. As you probably know, Dungeness is a fantastic place to visit Happy Hunting!

70 Small Coppers is quite astonishing. What is it that attracts them in such numbers?

I'm not sure David. I know there's plenty of Sorrel for the caterpillars and lots of sources of nectar for the adults. It's a large area, rather bare (which they seem to favour) and protected as an nature reserve. All that must help. I've never visited a site that has such a large population. There must be some experts out there who know: I'm just glad the Coppers like it!


Best wishes,

Hoggers

Me too, Hoggers. This species has been conspicuous by its absence this year. I reckon I've seen fewer than two dozen in spite of the mild spring and warm summer.

I'm almost praying for another abnormally cold winter as the last one seemed to do no harm at all to subsequent butterfly numbers.

A Painted Lady was fluttering at my bedroom window this morning And a Holly Blue appeared in the garden for the second day in a row

Lovely photo's Hoggers, I've seen quite a lot more Small Coppers here in the North than I've seen in previous years, unfortunately they've not been in the condition yours were in.
I've only seen one Holly Blue this year and that was in the Spring, your lucky to have one visit your Garden Goldie

That's a great double for late August, Hoggers!

Brother Hoggles and I set out for Dungeness this morning, arriving there at 10 am. Immediately on getting out of the car we saw a Painted Lady It was in the company of Large and Small Whites, a Small Tortoiseshell, three Red Admirals, Meadow Browns, Common Blues, Brown Argus and a Clouded Yellow So we got off to a very good start indeed!

Next we saw a Small Heath (which neither of us could get close enough to photograph it was so flighty) followed by the butterfly both of us most wanted to see During our walk we saw Small Coppers on almost every clump of ragwort We saw courtship behaviour on a couple of occasions And a great deal of feisty aerial combat from this most pugilistic of butterflies (Although they look as if butter wouldn't melt in their mouths!) We came across just one member of the Blue Badge Club One with hardly any markings And then I found this A radiata! We were over the moon!

The Small Copper is such a rewarding butterfly to study It really does pay to look closely at every one of them you see What beautiful butterflies they are Happy days!

Wow! That's a really interesting aberration, Hoggers.

You really are responsible for 90% of UK Small Copper sightings this year!