Sooty Copper Butterfly ID

[barquar]

This Small Butterfly landed on one of my Flower tubs, It was seen by 3 of us My friend looked at the Butterfly book and said it was a Sooty Copper Butterfly, It was know bigger than a 10 pence coin it had the row of spots along the bottom wings, it was orange in colour and markings on the top wings just like in the book. Husband spooked it trying to photograph it so know photo.
Was it a sooty or something else?
Barquar

[ron1863]

Possibly a Small Copper Butterfly, if you go to the Gallery you can look at the different types of butterfly and identify yours. Or you can just click the words Small Copper to see one.

[aeshna5]

Sooty Copper isn't a UK species though it is fairly common in western Europe.

Checking in a reference there are 3 British specimens documented:

1 A male near Ilfracombe, Devon; Aug 1887

2 Fife, Scotland

3 A female, Sussex 1958

Odds are you have an aberrant form of Small Copper, but as you can see from above not impossible for it to be a Sooty Copper + interestingly at least 2 of above were recorded in August. Certainly you'll need a good photograph or specimen to have any chance of this being accepted.

Other than a possible vagrant ( in what must be one of the worst years for insect migration) there is the possibility of escape/release of this species from a breeder.

Did you get a photo?- certainly an intriguing record!

[barquar]

Originally Posted by aeshna5

Sooty Copper isn't a UK species though it is fairly common in western Europe.

Checking in a reference there are 3 British specimens documented:

1 A male near Ilfracombe, Devon; Aug 1887

2 Fife, Scotland

3 A female, Sussex 1958

Odds are you have an aberrant form of Small Copper, but as you can see from above not impossible for it to be a Sooty Copper + interestingly at least 2 of above were recorded in August. Certainly you'll need a good photograph or specimen to have any chance of this being accepted.
Other than a possible vagrant ( in what must be one of the worst years for insect migration) there is the possibility of escape/release of this species from a breeder.

Did you get a photo?- certainly an intriguing record!

Know photo as husband got camera and spooked it,will keep a look out incase it returns.
Barquar