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  • small copper

small copper

Pictured: small copper, Lycaena phlaeas

Notes from Jenyns: Common in most parts of the County.

200-year trend in Cambridgeshire: Decline.

Modern records

Today the species is still widely distributed across the country but very few individuals are seen in any given location and it would no longer be described as ‘common’. The larvae feed on species of sorrel, which are associated with acid soils and grazed land. Grassy glades in Holme Fen are one of the few places to see this species in abundance.

National records map

Small copper national records map: https://species.nbnatlas.org/species/NHMSYS0000516465