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Small Copper - Favourite Photo of 2023

Week 16

The week of diminutive! Perhaps these threads should have a Blink182 soundtrack… . Not long to go now until the finale so I hope you’re all prepared for the Overall Favourite thread.

Please could I ask that everyone waits until a topic has been opened by me for a particular species before posting photos as then it will be easier to keep track of things? Of course our overseas members are very welcome to fill in the obvious gaps relating to rare UK migrants. As in previous years details of locations, dates, times and circumstances would be welcome as would any accompanying stories and anecdotes or other observations of behaviour and interesting other points.

Have a goodun

Wurzel

Small Copper

I seemed to have a good year with Small Coppers and so rather than scrabbling around on the hard drive trying to find decent photos I had the other, much nicer problem of deciding from plenty of shots. I went for two in the end.

The first came from Martin Down from a trip looking for Chalkhills. It was a pretty windy day and so I quickly discovered the key to finding the butterflies was to find the sheltered little nooks and crannies, the little scallops cut into the taller scrub or the leeward side of the Butts in this case. There was a nice variety of butterflies all hanging out in this little bay including a very bright Small Copper, a Comma and a few whites in amid the Common Blues and Browns. As I was turning to leave another Copper appeared. At least I thought it was a Copper, it was difficult to judge what it actually was from afar as its ground colour was almost black, so swarthy was it. When I got a bit closer I could see that it was indeed a Small Copper but what a lovely variation! The second came a week or so later from Alners Gorse. If it hadn’t have been for the Hairstreak Hatrickor the Valesina it would have been the highlight of the day despite its raggedy nature. Instead of the block of orange on the fore wing with the black spots the orange was greatly reduced, so much so that it almost took the shape of the purple on a female Purple Hairtreaks wing. It must have been a right stunner when fresh and even thought it was more than a little past its best I still rated it highly enough that it snuck onto the Favourites shortlist and made it to the final! Have a goodun

Wurzel

There was a steady stream of Small Coppers throughout the season between May and October on my local patch - always one or two, rarely more than half a dozen on any given day but often a different selection on consecutive days. A few spring straight to mind, like the first one of the year here on 14th May.Another standout example appeared on 12th July, first seen nectaring on the buddleia along with many bigger butterflies but then posing more typically on low vegetation: a very nice ab. radiataI also have to include one of those males I tend to see each year that go on for weeks patrolling the same spot. Here is my last sighting of 2023, when this individual was around a month old. Dave

That middle one's an absolute gem, Dave.

More sightings of Small Coppers during 2023 than I have seen before. That doesn't necessarily mean there were more of them - just that I am more familiar with them and where I can find them. I find it particularly difficult to get a really sharp image of this species despite their friendliness and willingness to pose for a long time.

I like the sheen on this one taken at Great Holland Pits NR:
and an underside shot from earlier in the year at Newland Grove NR near Chelmsford in Essex:
and finally, I had to include this male for persistence as he was perched on this oak sapling from late September into mid-October waiting patiently for what must have been very elusive females if there were any there at all throughout his vigil:

After the almost total collapse of Small Coppers at the Kent hotspot at Dungeness in 22' ,i,m very pleased to say that the Coppers are back ! With 95% of the foodplant burnt to a frazzle things were looking very bleak . The fist brood in 22' was reasonable ,but with practically no foodplant for the following broods ,none (or extremely few if any ) were reported in second and third broods . The Dungeness warden who lives on site said that it was the worst conditions (for the Coppers ) that he,d seen in thirty years ,and he felt that it would be several years before they recovered to previous numbers . So it came as something of a surpriseto everyone that the first (April ) brood of 23' appeared to be back to normal,
and from the on they didn,t look back !
There were many "Blue Spots " around ,particularly in the later broods .Heres a male and a female. I was lucky enough to find three pairs in-cop ,heres one from the first brood Also around were several slightly different Coppers . Allan.W.

Sorry ! bit mixed up that last post !!

millerd wrote: ↑Sun Jan 28, 2024 7:45 pmAnother standout example appeared on 12th July, first seen nectaring on the buddleia along with many bigger butterflies but then posing more typically on low vegetation: a very nice ab. radiata.

Dave

Nice one Dave, it's actually ab. obsoleta, a more extreme form than radiata

Talking of radiata, I found my very first one last year so that definitely gets a place in the favourite thread They did ok at Bookham late in the season as well (although a little overshadowed by the masses of Hairstreaks) but I did make time for this nice blue badger, one of the best examples I've seen for a few years

2023 was definitly one of the better years for this species around my local patch although I only saw two broods here, no doubt due to the poor weather in the spring and also at times during the summer. There were also more 'blue badgers' around than usual particularly in the second brood.
Cheers,

Neil

We have Small coppers breeding on sorrel in our garden most years so occasionally encounter very fresh ones that hang around for a while. This was a nice one that posed for a few photos over a couple of days in August.

Two from different ends of the season from me. The first was a pair interacting. What I presume was a female was quivering her hind wings while the male walked around.
The second was in my garden where Small Copper persist late in the year and have favourite perches, in this case Ragwort, where they return day after day. Ragwort is a much maligned species that causes considerable anxiety in some of my neighbours.

There are so many lovely Small Coppers posted that I almost didn't post the one and only one I saw last year

I was at Seasalter when I spotted the Copper, poor thing was in a poor state it was on the 18th of May and I suppose the weather had been the cause, it didn't get any better there through June ,then it was too hot . Goldie

Allan.W. wrote: ↑Mon Jan 29, 2024 4:44 pm...There were many "Blue Spots " around ,particularly in the later broods...

That's not a member of the 'Blue Spot Club', Allan.....it's the owner!

Thanks David ! yes that one was a little stunner ,i normally manage to find them (blue spots ) when they,re well past their sell by date ...............nice to find a couple of fresh ones.
Allan.W.

This from my Crawley garden last August. My only Small Copper image of the year.
Vince

Two slightly unusual ones were the pick in 2023 for me.

This rather worn caeruleopunctata was seen on 14 October, replete with a rather odd arrangement of upf markings:
By contrast, my first of the year on 17th April had a lovely orange sheen on basal area the hindwings:

Very nice David !...............particularly the second one !
Allan.W.

Small Coppers are such co-operative and appealing insects that I seem to end up with loads of photos of them. First one is from a heathland site near Esher, in late June.
Next one from a local nature reserve near Epsom, early in August.
And the last one at Wisley RHS gardens in early October. I was rather taken by the very deep reddish-orange colouration at the base of the forewings.