A small but lively butterfly which has three broods in a year, though you are most likely to see it in late summer and early autumn.
Where to see
- Habitat: Warm, well-drained sites are liked, which can be on heath or limestone or elsewhere. Look for rough wasteland, warm banks, old quarries and the like. Can be seen in gardens and on roadside verges.
- Caterpillar foodplants: Sheep's Sorrel (main foodplant on heaths) and Common Sorrel (on chalk and limestone downs).
- Best places: Fairly widespread as long as the caterpillar foodplant is present, but very intensively farmed areas are not suitable.
Distribution map
Small Copper was recorded from these 1km squares in Dorset (2015-19).
- Key:
- 1 record
- 2-9 records
- 10+ records
When to see
There is a smaller first brood out in April/May, followed by two (occasionally three) more broods which can produce sightings from July through to October.
Sightings by month (last 5 years)*
This year and last*
What to look for
If you just get a glimpse of an orange butterfly, you might think Small Tortoiseshell or Gatekeeper as well as Small Copper, but the Small Copper is decidedly smaller than the other two. Once it settles – and it likes to soak up the sun – it is unmistakable, though there are a lot of small variations. Although males and females are very similar, the female tends to be larger and has more rounded forewings compared to the slightly pointed shape of the male’s wings.
In the wild the adult butterflies often nectar on yellow flowers like ragwort, fleabane and buttercups. They seem to like gardens more later in the year (possibly there are just more of them around to be seen), when they find members of the Aster family including Michaelmas Daisies.
The male in particular is a lively, even aggressive, butterfly. It will adopt a perch from which it will take off to repel all comers, even if they are a lot larger.
Photo gallery
Click thumbnails to view full-size images.
Small Copper. Photo: Ken Dolbear
Small Copper. One suspects this is a female, as a male would have chased the bee away. Photo: John Van Crugten
Small Copper, showing the less bright underside of the hind wing. Photo: Richard Belding
Small Copper. This shows how much of its wings a butterfly can lose and still keep (just) flying. Photo: Penny Hawes
Small Copper. This picture gives an idea of the small size of the butterfly. This particular specimen is a recognised aberration called caeruleopunctata, with blue dots on the hind wings. Photo: Mark Pike
Small Copper, aberration with blue dots on hindwings. On a garden flower of the Aster family in September. Photo: Lyn Pullen
Small Copper. A variation on the 'normal' form, with no orange round the edge of the hindwings. Note the more rounded tips to the forewings, denoting a female. Photo: Guy Freeman.
Small Copper. An extreme aberration with the orange turned to white. Note the pointed wings, denoting a male. Photo: Ken Dolbear