Scarce Copper; Manto de Oro

Description:

Male (left) and female (right). This butterfly exhibits one kind of sexual dimorphism: male butterflies are coloured bright gold-red on the upper side of wing with a dark edge, while the females have broader orange wings with a dark design. The lower surfaces of the back wings are yellowish and have only a few black dots; there are characteristic white marks the immediate vicinity of these. The caterpillars live from April until June feeding on sorrel and the butterflies fly between June and August. They then lay the eggs that hatch in April after the whole winter.

Habitat:

Alpine meadows at 1800 m. Parque Nacional de Sierra de Guadarrama

Notes:

Camera Model: NIKON D300. Exposure Time: 1/1250 sec., f/18, ISO Speed Rating: 800. Exposure Bias: 0 EV. Focal Length: 300.0 mm. No flash fired.