Small Copper Butterfly / Mali vatreni plavac

Description:

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 coloring is replaced by a pale brownish, gray. The hindwings are the same brown/grey colour with small black dots and a narrow orange border. Depending on the habitat, Common Sorrel (Rumex acetosa) and Sheep's Sorrel (Rumex acetosella) are the two main food-plants, although other Docks (Rumex spp.) are occasionally used.

Habitat:

It is widespread and common across Europe, Asia, and North America, and also found in North Africa south through to Ethiopia.

Notes:

Other names: Mali livadni crvenko, American Copper, Common Copper. Related spotting: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/229..., http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/225... and http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/272...