LARGE COPPER   -   Lycaena dispar (Haworth)


This rare and beautiful butterfly used to inhabit marshlands in eastern England until these were drained in the 19th century when the largest subspecies Lycaena dispar dispar became extinct. A little later a closely similar Dutch subspecies L. dispar batavus was discovered, and reintroduced to a specially conserved marsh, at Woodwalton Fen, England, in the 1920s. Breeding stock from this source has been circulating with enthusiasts for about 20 years.

Despite its rarity, this butterfly is quite easy to breed in the warmer months. All that is needed is to have some potted plant food ready for the livestock, and a cage to enclose the plant. The simplest and lowest cost cage is the sleeve type cage described in Flower Pot Cages.

Click on photos below for larger images


Eggs on Great Water Dock Picture approx 4mm across		 Starting with eggs or young caterpillars in the early summer, the progress through the stages to emerging butterfly takes about 6-7 weeks. The caterpillar food in the wild is Great Water Dock, but more common types of dock can be subtituted in captivity.

Larva in early Spring           5 mm long		 Young caterpillars kept in sun and warmth mostly produce butterflies the same year. In the wild they are found in shaded conditions and when about 5 mm long they turn brownish and hibernate in their third instar stage hidden on dead leaves and stems.

Captive stock will usually behave in the same way if kept cool but many seem to dry up during hibernation so that over-wintered caterpillars are rather scarce in the Spring.

  3rd stage larva 6 mm long		 Young caterpillars eat distinctive 'windows' on one surface of the leaf, and older ones (4th stage photo) eat large holes right through the leaf.

When they wake after the winter, still brownish and in the 3rd instar stage, they gradually turn green (as 3rd stage photos). After moulting to the 4th instar they are full green. In this way the caterpillar follows the seasonal shades of the dock plant food.

The brown pupa (illustrated) is formed on the stem of the Dock, and sometimes on a leaf underside or on the sleeve netting.

4th stage larva,  full grown, 20mm long

pupa		 The butterfly emerges after about 2 weeks.

The upperside of the male butterfly has a beautiful metallic sheen with few black markings; however the female has more extensive dark markings. Both sexes have similar undersides. They make an active splash of colour when flying free, but settle down very well in flight cages, and I find that the 3-4 week lifespan of the females is double that of the male. The female soon lays eggs, and these can be seen as pale dots on the leaves in the female butterfly photos.

These eggs hatch in about 10 to 14 days.


male underside
male upperside
female
female upperside
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