LEPIDOPTERA (Butterflies & Moths) > PAPILIONOIDEA (Butterflies) > Lycaenidae >

Lycaeninae (coppers) and Theclinae (hairstreaks)

The Lycaenidae family includes the coppers, hairstreaks and blues all neatly separated into their respective subfamilies. This page focuses on the coppers and hairstreaks.

Referring to coppers in the plural is actually misleading as sadly the Large Copper has been extinct in Britain for many years, which makes the Small Copper [Lycaena phlaeas] our only species. It's pretty much unmistakable, so doesn't require any identification notes other than to say that distinguishing the sexes isn't easy. Personally, I'm not too bothered when they're so similar, but apparently the female is larger than the male and has slightly more rounded forewings.

Five species of hairstreak occur in Britain, three of which have reasonably widespread distribution across much of the country, whereas the other two are scarce or rare and only found in specific areas. The rarest species is the Black Hairstreak with only a few known colonies in the East Midlands and, consequently, not featured here. The remaining four species can all be found in Dorset.

The Brown Hairstreak [Thecla betulae] is a scarce and elusive species that spends much of its life high up in the trees but, later in the season after mating, females come down to lay their eggs on Blackthorn shrubs. Although they have been seen at a few sites in Dorset, the best location for sure is the Alners Gorse Reserve managed by Butterfly Conservation Dorset.

The reserve is also home to the equally elusive Purple Hairstreak (a species I've yet to photograph) and White-letter Hairstreak [Satyrium w-album], so-named because of the white markings on the underside of the hindwing that resemble the letter 'W' and best seen when the butterfly is resting vertically head up. As with the Brown Hairstreak, both of these species live in trees, Oak and Elm respectively, rarely coming down to shrubs or descending to take nectar from flowers.

You really have to be in the right place at the right time and with the right conditions to stand a realistic chance of seeing, let alone photographing, any of these species. I wish I lived closer to the reserve as it's a well-managed site that's good for other insects as well as butterflies but, unfortunately, it's around fifty miles away, which despite being in Dorset, is outside of what I regard as being my local patch.

The final species is the totally unmistakable and very distinctive Green Hairstreak [Callophrys rubi], which occurs in small colonies in a range of habitats where there is combination of open grassland and shrub. Whereas the previously mentioned species are more likely to be seen a bit later in the season, primarily from mid-July to the end of August, the Green Hairstreak can be found as early as April, peaking in May.