Hoggers

[Hoggers]

I went down to Dungeness this morning to see what butterflies I could find. It was cloudy but very calm, warm and muggy.

There were good numbers of Small Heath and Common Blue

Brown Argus

(I saw 5 )

A clump of Small Tortoiseshell caterpillars

And one adult

A single Painted Lady went zipping past.

The Copper-O-Meter registered 2. First this boldly marked female

She was characteristically docile and retiring

And second, the male I'd seen last wednesday still holding the same territory

I decided to spent some time watching him. He was very active and made several flashing interceptions of passing butterflies. I then noticed that he was taking an unusual interest in a low sprawling Thistle-type plant

For a couple of minutes he slowly investigated almost every inch of the plant. I wasn't close enough to see what he was doing. However, on getting home and looking at the photographs I could see that he had his proboscis extended (you can just see it in this photo )

I hadn't noticed dew as I walked through the grass, but Thistles are the kind of plant that rain water can collect in and remain for some time.

I've seen Coppers drinking juice from ripe Blackberries but If he was taking up water it's the first time I've seen it happen

[Hoggers]

I managed to fit in an hour's butterflying at Dungeness this morning. Conditions were dull, cloudy, cool and very windy. I wasn't expecting much but wanted to check to see if the male Small Copper I'd noted on 8th June was still there.

Soon after starting my walk I disturbed a Large Skipper (my first of the year) which was very sensibly taking refuge out of the wind

A battered Painted Lady was fighting against the gale then landing on the path for a rest before taking off again

I found a male Common Blue and watched him for awhile

He had selected a small patch of pebbles as a roosting place out of the wind and I saw him launch himself up at a Small Tortoiseshell that flew through, intercept it and then return to the same patch. All in all, he behaved rather like a male Copper!

Talking of Coppers, after a short search I found him

Active despite the unfavourable weather conditions

Showing that lovely coppery glow on his hind-wings

He has held the same territory for at least 7 days, right at the end of the first brood.

[Hoggers]

Small Coppers once again grabbing the headlines ( in my local paper at least ):

[Hoggers]

The second brood of Small Coppers at Dungeness has started to emerge

I found eight freshly minted Coppers this morning

And what a stroke of luck to find a mating pair

They were already coupled when by pure chance I happened to notice them

In the past I have always taken a note of how long they remain hitched together ( and thus very vulnerable to predation )
My previous record was 22 minutes ( during which time they make no attempt to hide away ). As I watched I saw the male open his wings

( I was delighted with the colours shown by both - there's nothing can match a freshly emerged Small Copper ! )

But otherwise there was no further movement. But then the female began using her hind leg to prompt him into getting on with the job

(I've noted this behaviour before - anyone interested please have a look at my diary for 18th December 2015 )

This had no effect so she marched him up to the top of the flower head

And after awhile pulled herself free and flew off leaving the male. He seemed quite stunned and for a moment I though he'd fainted as he remained completely inert! I gently put my finger down to him and he suddenly woke up and flew away.

I saw them coupled together for 18 minutes before they separated

The second brood last year began on 14th June so just a bit later this year

This fine chap had found himself a typical Dungeness Small Copper Perch

I noticed him opening out white hairs or bristles from the tip of his abdomen

I wonder if they are used in mating to clasp the female?

He also treated me to a Stalk Dance

You may be shocked to learn that I do sometimes look at things that aren't Coppery: how about this handsome caterpillar

I'd guess it's a kind of moth? He was chomping away on some bramble

Glad to see the Coppers back!

[Allan.W.]

Hello Hoggers,
Didn,t see you today at Dungie, I had two bites of the cherry today,in the morning from 6.45 till 9.30,and then came back later around lunchtime with Lynne and my son,well done you I never saw a single Copper,loads of Small Heath,and my first Small Skippers of the season ,and loads of good plants ! Your caterpillar is a Lackey moth ,I saw one as well in the moat .
Regards Allan.W.

[Goldie M]

Lovely Copper's Hoggers, not long now before I get the chance to see some
With coming down there in August I wondered if there was any chance of seeing Brown Hair Streaks in Kent, I planned on going to Sussex again but it might be too far for us, if you know of any locations I'd be interested in easy reach of Canterbury that would be great. Goldie

[Hoggers]

Thanks for the caterpillar ID, Allan : I looked it up and it seems that the caterpillar is far more colourful than the adult!

The Coppers just out were thinly spread ( but evidently not so far apart as to prevent Boy meeting Girl ! )

I met another Copper Enthusiast and pointed him in the right direction so I hope he got to see one at least.

Many more to come later in the brood.

As for BH's in Kent Goldie, I don't think there are any ( not anymore at least ) : as far as I know the nearest colony is in West Sussex ( quite a drive ).

I'm looking forward to seeing how your a Dungeness Copper Hunt goes in August! Any sign of them where you live?

Hoggers

[Hoggers]

If your garden is anything like mine then you'll have noticed that everything has been growing like mad this summer. We've had just about perfect conditions for it.

What's true for my garden is, I discovered today, also true for Dungeness: not only has the whole estate bloomed like the Chelsea Flower Show but the grass has grown tall and has spread over many areas that up until now were more shingle than turf.

The male Coppers of Dungeness favour a pebble perch

But this year because everything has grown so well they are taking up more elevated vantage points

These dashing young blades are now much in evidence

I watched an affray between 4 male Coppers, a faded Brown Argus, a male Common Blue and a Small Skipper! Quite a sight! (And as for Small Skippers, they're everywhere : The long grass is busy with them )

My Copper-O-Meter registered 27 after this morning's walk ( 26 males and 1 female )

This fast emerging second brood is so far distinguished by the heaviness with which the males are marked and the lack of any blue badges ( unlike in the first brood when I easily came across full Blue Badgers, so far I haven't seen a single Copper with anything more than a scant hint of blue)

I also saw a Painted Lady, Humming-bird Hawk Moth, Marbled White, Meadow Brown, Large and Small Skipper, Brown Argus, Common Blue, Red Admiral, Small Heath and Small Tortoiseshell.

So the second brood of Small Coppers is gathering momentum

I hope the weather stays fair for them

[Hoggers]

It was far cloudier and cooler at Dungeness this morning than yesterday and so the Coppers were more subdued

When the sun did get thorough from time to time, an apparently deserted grassy verge would instantly come to life with a thronging crowd of Meadow Browns and Small Skippers

Then the Coppers would come out to play in the sunshine

I managed to find a male that I've been keeping an eye on. I found him last sunday (when the second brood started to emerge) and he was still there today on the same patch. Here he is last week

and today

Interesting to see how the condition of a Copper changes in such a short time and that he's kept to the same territory for 7 days.

These sunny spells did not last for long and it would soon become dull and cool

Now and again I'd spot a Copper down in the grass almost glowing like a hot coal

I had the distinct feeling that during the warm spells fresh Coppers were emerging around me.

And when it was sunny I got to watch a few males in combat as well as a Stalk Dance. Such a shame these periods were not sustained

(Such a shame also when there's a blade of grass in the middle of your picture! Anyone who comes up with software that will get rid of these unwelcome guests will make a fortune!)

Good to see you again Allan and best of luck with the High Browns in Devon next week before you visit Cornwall.
I look forward to seeing your photos. Maybe you can snap a few Cornish Coppers too? I have a vague memory that Neil Hulme posted sometime ago about Cornish Coppers and he noted that they're bigger than our ones.

So a quieter morning on the Copper front

My Copper-O-Meter reached 22

[Goldie M]

Lovely Copper's once again Hogger's I've not had a glimpse of one yet Hogger's but the weather here has been cool lately but even when the Sun was out there's been very few Butterflies
Hope fully I'll get to see some Copper's when I come South. Goldie

[Allan.W.]

Hi Hoggers,
Just caught up with your diary ,enjoyed our chat ! I told you that the Blue spot Copper that i'd seen in the moat ,was a female ,looking at my pics, I see that its actually a male,
glad you found a good number of Coppers. As for your " Copper,with grass shot" I have occasionally used something called "PICASSA" COMPUTER EDITING SOFTWARE ,which would easily remove the offending grass . Regards Allan.W.

[Hoggers]

Hi, thanks for the comments guys and I will look into the software Allan.

Yesterday I counted 22 Small Coppers and had the feeling that they were emerging around me.

Well, today on the same walk the Copper-O-Meter peaked at 59 !

It really is fascinating to watch a colony of butterflies and see the ups and downs of the population.

53 dashing males

And my long-stayer was still present

( Day 8 )

Although there's a new kid on the block

I saw them duel several times. It will be interesting to see if the Old-Timer can hang on to his territory.

I was thrilled to come across a mating pair

Already coupled when I found them they stayed so for 12 minutes before the male simply walked away. The female remained motionless for 3 minutes before she flew away.

Other females were doing the Turkey Strut

I'm not surprised the females are busy with all these lusty males around!

I found a very dark one

But most shine brightly in the sun

Ever alert

For the Copper Lover, going down to Dungeness at this time of the year feels a bit like when you're opening your presents on Christmas Morning!

[Hoggers]

I popped down to Dungeness late morning for an hour's Coppering

They have become so numerous as to be unmissable

And all in lovely condition

I came across a nice Blue Badger

I tried to find my long staying male but his patch now seems occupied by a younger male, the new master of all he surveys

I wonder how long he can hold on?

[Hoggers]

My copy of the latest Butterfly Conservation magazine arrived today and I saw in it a sad little article about the decline of the Small Copper population in the UK

I am very lucky to live so close to the Dungeness Nature Reserve where, even on a day like today when the weather was not butterfly-friendly, I easily came across 67 second brood Coppers

Of the 67, most were males

I've no doubt at all that there are many more Coppers on the estate than the 67 I counted

I saw a female lay an egg and other females doing the Turkey Strut to dissuade saucy males

And as I've remarked in an earlier post, this year the Dungeness Coppers have become less butterflies of the arid and barren pebble desert and more citizens of lush grassland,so strongly has the vegetation grown

Dull though the weather may have been, the Coppers were glowing in the gloom

Freshly emerged individuals crawling up out of the thick grass

And others making the most of the brief sunny spells

Thank goodness the Small Coppers of Dungeness are safe

[Hoggers]

As I write it is absolutely tipping down with rain and very dark. It couldn't be more different to this morning when for a few hours at Dungeness it was Blue Sky Coppering all the way

June had me so accustomed to Coppering in the Rain that to look up and see nothing but blue sky and fair weather cloud was an enormous treat, both for me and for the butterflies

I was delighted to find this beautiful male with a reduced hind-wing orange bar

What a handsome chap

I decided to watch him. I didn't have long to wait before he was having a punch-up with a neighbouring Copper ( I'll call the neighbour "Copper 2 " )

And it was while watching them duke it out that I saw something I've never seen before: when both were grounded, the aberrant male approached Copper 2 as if he were a female

In response to this, Copper 2 began fluttering his wings in exactly the same way as a female Copper when warding off the unwonted attentions of a saucy male ( although he didn't go so far as to adopt the Turkey Strut posture ). And the effect this had on the aberrant male was just the same as if Copper 2 had in fact been an unresponsive female; he stopped and allowed Copper 2 to fly off.

I've never seen a male Copper behave in the way that Copper 2 did today. In the past I've wondered if when a female cold shoulders a male by fluttering her wings she is wafting some kind of chemical "STOP" signal at the male which switches him off. But now that I've seen a male Copper do just the same thing I think I'm safe in concluding that it's probably not a chemical "Stop" signal, but a behavioural one.

So lusty are these young blades that I saw fight after fight, one affray involving three contestants

I also saw something-else that I've never seen before! I saw a female Copper alight at the top of a series of plants and proceed to walk down them, head first, whilst tapping her feet, ie, I saw a female to the Stalk Dance!

Up until today it has been males and males only that I've watched do this. I've seen female Coppers moving over vegetation with care and attention. I guessed they were sensing what type of plant they were on and I suppose the female I watched today was doing just that.

So am I safe to conclude that the male Copper is doing this too: testing with sensors in his feet just what type of plant is growing on his patch? And does this solve the mystery of the Stalk Dance?

I watch only Dungeness Coppers which live in a barren environment. But this year the conditions have been such as to encourage the desert to flourish with tall grown plants. Maybe that's why I've never seen a female Stalk Dance, there's been no need as the vegetation hasn't been tall.

As for other things, the Copper world is never quiet : I watched a female lay an egg

And my Copper-O-Meter maxed out at 141 !!

So much to admire

So much to learn!

[Hoggers]

I'm not sure what the collective term for a congregation of Coppers is:

( a " S.W.A.T Team" ? )

Amongst this lot I found a female with a nice pattern of blue badges

And another male with reduced orange on the hind-wings

Very attractive indeed

As I watched these Coppers the sky clouded and it began to rain lightly.

The Coppers disappeared. I wondered where they had gone so I waited the 20 minutes it took for the rain to clear and for the sun to return. And as soon as it did the Coppers reappeared

I saw that they were flying in from the surrounding long grass: mystery solved!

I paid a visit to my egg

Still safe. I will try to keep an eye on it.

I watched several males perform the stalk dance: see how these two individuals are quickly tapping their front feet against the plant stem

Having yesterday for the first time seen a female do this I am now tending towards the explanation for the stalk dance being that the butterfly is identifying Sorrel. I think a male Copper would be interested in this because if his territory includes Sorrel he's in with an increased chance of finding a female when she's just emerged and thus still a virgin.

Small Coppers never cease to surprise me: today I came across a male acting in a way that I have never seen before. He was flitting around his territory and every time on landing he would completely flatten himself against the pebbles!

I wondered what he was doing. Keeping out of the wind? A light breeze was blowing ( this is Dungeness after all ! ) but just that : a light breeze, nothing more. I have many times watched Coppers in strong wind and they always sit down on the pebbles with their wings closed above them.

Was he soaking up the sun? But there was no need as it was by this time bright and warm, if anything I'd have expected him to do as other Coppers and fold up his wings to minimise the amount of heat absorbed and thus regulate his temperature.

I can't help thinking he looks rather funny

I wonder if he will start a trend!

My Copper-O-Meter registered 109 Small Coppers today

Most still young (although some of these have been dented )

This was the oldest Copper I found today

And I also came upon this little man all on his own

So all in all another fascinating visit with the Coppers of Dungeness

[Hoggers]

I spent some time watching a male Small Copper

At one point he went tearing off after another male which had trespassed onto his patch. I watched them in fast tumbling aerial dispute until they disappeared from sight. I've seen this sort of encounter many times before and noted that when two Coppers get into a fight like this they can chase off and disappear.I waited to see if he would return and after 4 minutes he did. It made me wonder how he was able to find his way back? I can't say how far he went, I'd guess at least 50 metres (until I lost sight of him), which I think is a considerable distance for such a small creature, yet he was able to find his way back.

Male Small Coppers have a homing instinct it seems!

I watched a female: she landed at the top of a Sorrel and made her way down the stem whilst tapping her feet. When she got to the bottom she proceeded to walk over the leaves still tapping her feet then laid an egg before flying away

Still plenty of Small Coppers to be seen and much to discover!

[Goldie M]

They do seem to have a long life those Copper's at Dungeness Hogger's, I should be down there end of July beginning of August, hope they're still around. Goldie

[Hoggers]

Hi Goldie: end of July/ beginning of August, you'll be fine. I usually get counts of 30-40 Coppers during that period.

Best wishes

Hoggers

[kevling]

Hoggers,

Enjoying your Small Copper diary and great photographs. It's great to see so many differences in appearance. I still cannot believe that this species has passed me by so far this year. I'm determined to track them down.

Regards Kev.