| Family | Lycaenidae |
|---|---|
| Subfamily | Lycaeninae |
| Genus | Lycaena |
| Species | virgaureae |
| Authority | (Linnaeus, 1758) |
| English Name | Scarce Copper |
| European Red List 2010 | Least Concern (LC) |
|---|---|
| EU 27 Red List 2010 | Least Concern (LC) |
| European Red List 2025 | Least Concern (LC) |
| EU 27 Red List 2025 | Near Threatened (NT) |
| Habitats Directive | |
| Bern Convention | |
| CITES |
It would be difficult to miss the beautiful and conspicuous Scarce Copper. The white patches on the underside of the hindwing distinguish it from other coppers. It prefers sheltered, flower-rich grassland in or near woods. The female visits a wide range of composites, especially Golden-rod (Solidago virgaureae) from where it gets its species name. The female lays her eggs at the base of the flowering stems of acidic sorrels like Rumex acetosa and R. acetosella. The eggs do not hatch until the following spring when the small caterpillars make a good meal of the new, fresh vegetation. It has one generation a year.
Albania / Andorra / Austria / Belarus / Belgium / Belgium: Flanders (Irregular Vagrant) / Belgium: Wallonia / Bosnia and Herzegovina / Bulgaria / Croatia / Czechia / Denmark / Estonia / Finland / France / France: Mainland / Germany / Greece / Greece: Mainland / Greece: East Aegean Islands / Hungary / Italy / Italy: Mainland / Latvia / Lithuania / Luxembourg (Regionally Extinct) / North Macedonia / Moldova / Montenegro / Netherlands (Irregular Vagrant) / Norway / Poland / Portugal / Portugal: Mainland / Romania / European Russia / San Marino / Serbia / Serbia: Serbia / Serbia: Kosovo / Slovakia / Slovenia / Spain / Spain: Mainland / Sweden / Switzerland / Ukraine /