Wingspan: 31–40 mm
Flight period: in two generations; the first from May to June, the second from July to September
Larval host plants: species of the genus Rumex (Rumex)
Marsh copper (Lycaena dispar) lives in marsh meadows and along overgrown water ditches and is very rare in Notranjska. With river regulation and draining of marsh areas its habitat is shrinking elsewhere as well, therefore the marsh copper is listed on the Slovenian Red List of endangered butterflies. It is also protected here. It is also one of the qualifying species for determining the Natura 2000 network, which includes areas with exceptionally well-preserved nature. The purpose of designating these European important protected areas is to preserve biodiversity for future generations.
Marsh copper belongs to the larger butterflies in the Lycaenidae family. The upperside of the male's wings is orange and shimmers gold, with only a narrow black band along the outer edge of the wings. The female is larger and has black spots on the upperside of the forewings; the black band along the outer edge of the wings is wider than in the male, and most of her hindwings are dark brown. The forewings underside are orange and speckled with white-bordered black spots. The hindwings underside are grey-blue and speckled with smaller black spots with a white fringe, along the trailing edge runs a band of orange.
