A common species in Sutton Park during most years, this butterfly can be found throughout the spring, summer and early autumn. Rough grassland and heath appear to be favourite haunts, especially in the damper spots. A small but nevertheless striking insect, the Small Copper usually has three, (occasionally four) broods in a season. An occasional garden visitor and familiar to many people. Caterpillar food plant: Common Sorrel and Sheep's Sorrel.

Normally a very abundant species in Sutton Park although some years populations may plummet due to natural fluctuations often caused by plagues of parasitic wasps which can heavily diminish large numbers of this species, several years may then be needed for them to build back up their numbers again. They are associated mainly with woodland rides and edges, especially where there is an abundance of holly, making Sutton Park an ideal habitat for this species. The caterpillars of the first brood are reared on holly flowers whilst those of the second brood are generally raised on the flowers of ivy although other species are also often used including gorse, dogwood, spindle, snowberry, buddleia and various heathers; so the butterflies in Sutton Park should always have plenty of options to choose from. The Holly Blue is by no means confined within the area to Sutton Park, and can often be seen in gardens and parks throughout Sutton Coldfield, and other parts of Warwickshire and the West Midlands. The holly blue butterfly resting on a holly leaf emblem was adapted by Helen Woodward Clarke as a logo for the FOSPA Conservation Team in April 1997, and was endorsed as a logo for FOSPA during the following year.

Although This butterfly is generally regarded to be the commonest and most widespread of the blue species throughout the U.K. it is however quite a rarity for Sutton Park, with only occasional sightings being recorded, and then often several years apart. It is possible that sometimes it may be overlooked with odd specimens been occasionally mistaken for the far more common Holly Blue, but at best the species could not be considered common, (The last one I saw there myself was close to Park House during the Summer of 1998). Usually double brooded and flying on warm days from May through to October, the caterpillar feeds upon a wide range of leguminous plants including Birds foot trefoil, Lesser trefoil, Greater birds foot trefoil and Black medic.

To many lepidopterist's this small insect is the most interesting of all Sutton Parks resident butterfly species, it is probably also the only one to be found nowhere else locally in the area, and great care is taken to manage the habitat with this species specifically in mind: Refer to Sutton Park Management Plan 2002 / 2007, by Dr. Stefan Bodnar. Whilst Green Hairstreaks appear to be fairing well in Sutton Park, turning up often and practically anywhere, on open ground on warm sunny days between late March and early June; throughout Warwickshire and the West Midlands as a whole, the species has suffered an alarming and marked decline. The many caterpillar food plants include: gorse, bramble, bilberry, cranberry, buckthorn and broom.

The Purple Hairstreak is often overlooked due to it's annoying habit of flying for the most part, high up in the oak tree canopies. On the wing throughout late July and August, this butterfly is probably far more common than records suggest, especially in Sutton Park where Oak is the predominant woodland species. One of my favourite ways to see them is to sit beneath the oak trees on a sunny day where they line the banks of Plants Brook between Park House Nature Reserve and Blackroot pool, at a point where the brook runs close to the back of Keepers car park. Here, with patience, you may occasionally see them flutter down to rest for a short period on the footpath, before flitting off again back into the tree tops. (This butterfly would certainly have been a long standing Sutton Park resident, however it is not included in the 1965 list). Caterpillar food plant: Oak.

Records for this species are few and far between with only a couple of single specimen sightings occurring over a period of several years. The caterpillar food plant is elm, which has always been an uncommon species in Sutton Park. Small colonies of this butterfly probably still survive here but I am still waiting to find one for myself. Widespread but very local across most of England and Wales, this species has declined somewhat due to Dutch elm disease attacking and killing many caterpillar food sources. (The butterfly was not included in the 1965 guide book list).