Monday 1 August 2016

Small Copper.


Encountering the delightful Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas) always lifts the spirits.

This species thrives in hot, sunny conditions, usually in small, discrete colonies and whilst considered common it has has suffered substantial declines over the last century due to habitat loss, but relatively poor weather in recent years may also be aggravating this decline. Last year our dry spring was followed by the coldest and wettest summer for three years and the Small Copper suffered its worst year on record with numbers falling a quarter compared to 2014.

I didn't see any of the spring brood and only two individuals when these images were taken on 23 July this year. If the right conditions prevail there might be a third brood and possibly a fourth partial brood into November.



Linking to:
Nature Notes

13 comments:

  1. Great shots Frank,love your third shot,lovely capture.
    John.

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  2. Hello, pretty shots of the butterfly! Happy Tuesday, enjoy your day!

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  3. Beautiful!
    Have a great week!

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  4. Beautiful photos. I love small coppers and am sad not to have seen any at all this year so far

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  5. What a pretty butterfly!

    Congrats, Frank. I've had a tough year getting any...(but maybe my luck has changed!)
    ~

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  6. These are wonderful Frank. It seems that so many insects especially bees and butterflies are struggling .... Michelle

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  7. Beautiful butterfly -- you must know the magic to make them hold still for these lovely portraits!

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I hope you enjoyed your visit and I always appreciate your comments and feedback.

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