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Small Copper Butterfly / Mali vatreni plavac
Lycaena phlaeas
45.0677, 13.6525
Field Notes
Description:
The upperside forewings are a bright orange with a dark outside edge border and with eight or nine black spots. The hindwings are dark with an orange border. Some females also have a row of blue spots inside the orange border and are known as form caeruleopunctata. The undersides are patterned in a similar way but are paler. The black spots on the forewings are outlined in yellow and the dark coloring is replaced by a pale brownish, gray. The hindwings are the same brown/grey colour with small black dots and a narrow orange border. Depending on the habitat, Common Sorrel (Rumex acetosa) and Sheep's Sorrel (Rumex acetosella) are the two main food-plants, although other Docks (Rumex spp.) are occasionally used.
Habitat:
It is widespread and common across Europe, Asia, and North America, and also found in North Africa south through to Ethiopia.
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