Lycana phlaes
Wingspan Male 32mm Female 35mm
Description
This easy-to-identify little butterfly has bright orange upper wings that sport black markings and borders. The upper side of the hindwings are greyish brown with orange in the trailing edge. The underside of the forewing is similar to the upper side but without the black border. The underside of the hindwing is also grey brown with a few black spots.
Flight Period
The Small Copper can have three or more broods a year with peaks in abundance between the following months:
May - June
July - August
September - October
Habitat
Open rough ground
Chalk Grassland
Grazed grassland
Heaths
Wasteland
Set-aside land
Railway embankments
Larval food Plants
Common Sorrel (Rumex acetosa)
Sheep Sorrel (Rumex acetosella)
Ocasionally on Broad-leaved Dock (Rumex obutusifolius)
Status: Resident, frequent to common
Earliest Sightings
Earliest county record 26th March 1997
Latest county record
5th November 2001