Small Copper
Lycaena phlaeas
Male Small Coppers are intensely territorial; they will fearlessly dart out to chase away invading insects many times their size, including large bumblebees and darter dragonflies.
- Scientific name
- Lycaena phlaeas
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Lepidoptera › Lycaenidae › Lycaena
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Chalk grasslands, heathlands, road verges, waste ground, and sunny meadows.
- Diet
- Adults drink nectar from wild flowers like ragwort, fleabane, and yarrow; caterpillars feed on sorrel and dock leaves.
- Range
- Europe, Asia, North America, North Africa
- Size
- Wingspan of 22 to 27 mm
- Lifespan
- 2 to 3 weeks as an adult
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat loss from intensive agriculture, urbanization, and scrub encroachment shading out host plants.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. You can safely observe this vibrant butterfly from just a few inches away as it basks on warm stones or flowers. If one lands on you, remain still to admire its metallic orange wings. No medical precautions are necessary.
Lycaena phlaeas , the small copper , American copper , or common copper , is a butterfly of the Lycaenids or gossamer-winged butterfly family. According to Guppy and Shepard (2001), its specific name phlaeas is said to be derived either from the Greek phlego , "to burn up" or from the Latin floreo , "to flourish".
Photo: Gilles San Martin, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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