Bright Copper - female

With a wingspan of 30 mm, this small lycaenid butterfly had dark purplish wing margins and bright orange patches on all four wings. The trailing hind wing margins were slightly scalloped with small crescents of pale blue. The underside appeared uniformly fawn-coloured.
The rounded wing margins indicate that this butterfly is a female.
Spotted along a walking track fluttering amongst sweet bursaria plants.
Notes:
Caterpillars of this species hide in the black ants' nests at the base of the bursaria plant, where they also pupate. They are tended to by black ants (Anonychomyrma nitidiceps).
This butterfly is only found in bushland where the spiny bushes are present and where there are host ant colonies - amazing interconnection.