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 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.

Habitat:

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

Notes:

In spring the butterflies often bask on bare ground, periodically visiting various wild flowers for nectar. They strongly favour daisies in preference to other nectar sources, but also visit ground ivy, dandelions, buttercups and blackthorn blossom. Summer brood adults visit fleabane, ragwort, yarrow, marjoram and small scabious. Related spotting: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/233..., http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/229... and http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/225....