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Lycaena helle

Violet Copper

Field Notes

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Vaud, Switzerland, June 2004
 

Jura, France, July 2006
 

Vaud, Switzerland, June 2006
 

Vaud, Switzerland, May 2006
 

Vaud, Switzerland, June 2006
 

Bern, Switzerland, July 2006
 

Jura, France, July 2006
 

Vaud, Switzerland, June 2006
 

Vaud, Switzerland, June 2004
 

Vaud, Switzerland, June 2004
 

Vaud, Switzerland, June 2004
 

Vaud, Switzerland, June 2004
 

Vaud, Switzerland, June 2004
 

Jura, France, June 2004
 

Ardennes, Belgium, May 2002

 

Ardennes, Belgium, May 2002
 

Ardennes, Belgium, May 2002
 

Ardennes, Belgium, May 2002
 

Ardennes, Belgium, May 2002

The female walked backwards over the edge of the leaf to lay the egg.

 

This is a gorgeous little butterfly. It is widely distributed across central and northern Europe but only in small widely spaced pockets of colonies.

The upperside has a remarkable violet sheen that seems to shimmer above the copper and black markings. It is particularly noticeable in the male but is also present in the female. I've been in the right range for it many many times but I'd never seen it until I was told it flies at the early end of the season reported in the books - May rather than later in June/ July. So off I went to Belgium in May and here are the pictures to prove it! Even in Switzerland it was way passed its best in mid June at an altitude of 1500m so I don't know where it flies as late as July.

I was lucky to see the pictured female lay her egg. She landed on a Bistort leave (the larval food plant), walked along the mid rib, suddenly walking backwards towards the edge of the leave, just round to the underside where she quickly laid her egg.

It frequents open areas of damp ground where its foodplant, Bistort, is abundant to super-abundant. In May, this plant's columnar flower spikes are a sea of pink above its dark green herbage.

 

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