SMALL COPPER BUTTERFLY - LYCAENA PHLAEAS

To my surprise and confusion this turned up at Cornmill Stream while I was there.

First thought it was a Small Tortoiseshell then realised it was a Small Copper but then the black markings looked bigger compared to previous ones I have seen.

Decided at the time it was likely a female and perhaps they are darker and a little bigger?! Lol.

I am pretty sure there is no other Copper Butterfly it can be and with the large being extinct and re-introductions from Holland have no records of any success This is just a ...freak, lol.

Cornmill Stream.

VIDEO of SMALL COPPER BUTTERFLY

How bloody stunning is this?! LOL.

SMALL COPPER BUTTERFLY - LYCAENA PHLAEAS

Pictures with the new Nikon P520 are pretty good but alas I have yet ANOTHER faulty camera from Argos and I have ripped crap out of Argos and Nikon over all this and have filmed and recorded it all and posted it up, oh deary me lol.

Quite unexpectedly and in very close proximity were two butterflies I have got shots of previously but wanted more.

One was the Small Copper Butterfly amd one little fellow decided to give me more and right with a brand new faulty and refurbished Nikon P520 camera from Argos, third in a row, just ast the camera decided to play nicely, lol.

There is also a video coming and in a higher definition than I have been doing of late and @, 1080.

SMALL COPPER BUTTERFLY - LYCAENA PHLAEAS

When I spotted this I knew it was none of the Browns and nor the Skipper.

I had not seen much or remembered much about Butterflies since my childhood and thought this was a Fritillary of some sort and even identified at as either a Queen of Spain (even the name sounded unlikely) or Silver Washed Fritillary which I did remember from my childhood.

Then I noticed on one photo that the upper rear wings had dark area and none of the Fritillaries had that and I looked at the Copper Butterflies and boom!

Shame it is not a Large Copper, eh?! LOL.

The Large Copper Butterfly is quite a handsome beast but the British sub-species, if it was a sub-species, is extinct and has been for some years, 1851. In fact a re-introduction took place as long as as 1927 and you can read more about this here...

http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/species.php?species=dispar