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Lycaena phlaeas
The upperside forewings are a bright orange with a dark outside edge border and with eight or nine black spots. The hindwings are dark with an orange border. Some females also have a row of blue spots inside the orange border and are known as form caeruleopunctata. The undersides are patterned in a similar way but are paler. The black spots on the forewings are outlined in yellow and the dark colouring is replaced by a pale brownish, gray. The hindwings are the same brown/grey colour with small black dots and a narrow orange border. The caterpillars (larvae) are usually green, but some have a purple stripe down the middle of the back and along each side.
It is found in a wide variety range of habitats from chalk downlands, heathland, woodland clearings to churchyards and waste ground in cities. Spotted in a Holm oak forest
Camera Model: NIKON D300. Exposure Time: 1/125 sec. f/5.6 ISO Speed Rating: 400. Focal Length: 300.0 mm.
Spotted on Jul 7, 2012
Submitted on Aug 31, 2012
1 Comment
Finally I identified this butterfly as a Common Copper.