Here’s a detailed natural history overview of the Large Copper (Lycaena dispar), one of Europe’s most striking and historically significant butterflies:

**Large Copper (Lycaena dispar)**

Taxonomy & Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae (blues, coppers, and hairstreaks)
Genus: Lycaena
Species: L. dispar

General Description

The Large Copper is a medium-sized, brightly colored butterfly with vivid copper-orange wings. It is well known both for its beauty and its conservation story.

Wingspan: 44–55 mm.
Male: Brilliant copper-orange upperwings with a narrow dark border and small dark spots.
Female: Similar but larger, often with more prominent black spots and darker borders.
Underside: Pale grey to whitish with black spots and orange bands near the hindwing edge.
Sexual Dimorphism: Females are larger and more heavily marked than males.

Behavior & Lifestyle

Flight Period: Generally June to August, sometimes in two generations depending on latitude.
Activity: Active in sunshine, often flying low over wetlands and meadows.
Feeding:
- Adults nectar on thistles, knapweed, meadow flowers, and buttercups.
- Larvae feed exclusively on dock plants (Rumex spp.), especially Rumex crispus and Rumex obtusifolius.
Territoriality: Males defend sunny perches, chasing away rivals and potential threats.

Reproduction & Life Cycle

Eggs: Laid singly on the underside of dock leaves.
Larvae (caterpillars): Green with faint yellow lines, camouflaged among the host plants.
Pupae: Form near the ground in leaf litter or among grasses.
Generations:
- Univoltine (one brood per year) in northern areas.
- Bivoltine (two broods) in warmer southern regions.
Overwintering stage: Egg.

Habitat

Strongly tied to wetlands, fens, damp meadows, riverbanks, and marshes where dock plants grow in abundance.
Prefers open, sunny areas with lush vegetation.

Geographic Range

Past distribution: Once widespread across Europe, including the UK.
Present distribution:
- Survives in central and eastern Europe (Netherlands, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Russia).
- Extends into parts of Asia, including Siberia and Mongolia.
- Extinct in the British Isles since the mid-19th century due to drainage of fens and habitat destruction.

Ecological Role

Pollinator: Adults visit a wide range of flowers, aiding pollination.
Herbivore: Caterpillars control populations of dock plants in wetlands.
Prey: Food source for birds, spiders, amphibians, and parasitic wasps.

Special Adaptations

Habitat specialization: Reliance on wetland habitats and Rumex species makes it sensitive to environmental changes.
Bright coloration: Warning-like copper sheen likely deters some predators.
Egg diapause: Overwintering as eggs allows survival in cold climates.

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List: Least Concern globally, but many local populations are threatened or extinct.
Threats:
- Drainage of wetlands and agricultural intensification.
- Habitat fragmentation and loss of Rumex host plants.
- Climate change affecting wetland ecosystems.
Conservation efforts:
- Reintroduction projects in the UK and Western Europe.
- Wetland restoration and protection of host plants.

Interesting Facts

The Large Copper is considered a flagship species for wetland conservation in Europe.
The British subspecies (Lycaena dispar dispar) was declared extinct by the 1860s, one of the first documented butterfly extinctions due to human activity.
Dutch and Polish wetlands now hold some of the strongest populations.
Its brilliant copper coloration makes it one of the most vividly colored European butterflies.