Attributes of Lycaena phlaeas
American Copper
Lycaena phlaeas (Linnaeus, 1761)
Family: Lycaenidae
Subfamily: Lycaeninae
Identification: Upper surface of forewing shiny, fiery orange-red with black spots; hindwing gray with orange-red outer margin. Underside gray; hindwing with submarginal row of orange-red zigzags.
Wing Span: 7/8 - 1 3/8 inches (2.2 - 3.5 cm).
Life History: Males perch on grass or weeds to look for females. Eggs are laid singly on host plant stems or leaves. Young caterpillars chew holes in the underside of leaves; older ones make channels in the leaf tissue. Chrysalids overwinter.
Flight: One flight from July-September for alpine and arctic populations. Two flights in the north from June-July and August-September; three flights in the south from April-September.
Caterpillar Hosts: Herbs of the buckwheat (Polygonaceae) family including sheep sorrel (Rumex acetosella), curled dock (Rumex crispus), and Oxyria digyna.
Adult Food: Nectar from many flowers including common buttercup, white clover, butterflyweed, yarrow, ox-eye daisy, and various composites.
Habitat: In disturbed places in the East including pastures, landfills, vacant lots, road edges, old fields; rocky places in alpine habitats, and tundra in the arctic.
Range: Nova Scotia south to Georgia, Tennessee, and Arkansas; west across Great Lake states to North Dakota. Native populations found in the Arctic and the western mountains. Comments: Eastern and midwest populations probably result from an introduction from Scandinavia during the colonial period.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
Taxonomy Notes:
Images of Lycaena phlaeas
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The map below displays all verified sighting records in the BAMONA database for this species. Each record is indicated with a yellow dot. The orange dots on the map provide access to information about the 400 most recently verified sightings of this species. In some instances, there are several records at the same location. Use the table view to access these records.
Instructions: Click on the map and move your mouse to pan.
Zoom by using the plus [+] and minus [-] on the left side of the map.
To change which map layers are displayed, click on the plus sign [+] on the right side of the map.
The fifty most recently verified sightings are below. See more recently verified sightings of all species.
| Observation Date | Submitter | Region |
Verified Date |
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July 25, 2010 | Tim Fenske | Door County, Wisconsin, United States | March 28, 2013 | Details |
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July 14, 2005 | tjantscher | Otter Tail County, Minnesota, United States | January 08, 2013 | Details |
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May 29, 2011 | dpgbfly1 | Isanti County, Minnesota, United States | January 06, 2013 | Details |
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July 24, 2009 | dpgbfly1 | Mille Lacs County, Minnesota, United States | January 06, 2013 | Details |
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May 12, 2012 | LinRandolph | Ashtabula County, Ohio, United States | January 04, 2013 | Details |
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July 20, 2008 | dpgbfly1 | Sherburne County, Minnesota, United States | January 01, 2013 | Details |
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September 18, 2008 | dpgbfly1 | Sherburne County, Minnesota, United States | January 01, 2013 | Details |
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July 08, 2012 | Dancingbear860 | New London County, Connecticut, United States | November 21, 2012 | Details |
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August 20, 2012 | Axarus | Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States | November 17, 2012 | Details |
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August 20, 2012 | Axarus | Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States | November 09, 2012 | Details |
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July 25, 2012 | Larry522 | Chittenden County, Vermont, United States | October 30, 2012 | Details |
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July 07, 2012 | raccooncreek | Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States | October 24, 2012 | Details |
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August 15, 2012 | saapple | Venango County, Pennsylvania, United States | October 19, 2012 | Details |
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October 14, 2012 | treichard | Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States | October 17, 2012 | Details |
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May 13, 2011 | mrcnaturally | Westchester County, New York, United States | October 07, 2012 | Details |
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July 16, 2012 | Chip Krilowicz | Cape May County, New Jersey, United States | October 06, 2012 | Details |
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June 28, 2012 | Rick Henle | Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States | October 03, 2012 | Details |
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July 22, 2012 | Rick Henle | Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States | September 24, 2012 | Details |
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July 24, 2012 | Rick Henle | Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States | September 21, 2012 | Details |
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August 30, 2012 | Axarus | Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States | September 17, 2012 | Details |
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September 14, 2012 | Axarus | Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States | September 14, 2012 | Details |
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September 03, 2012 | wayne13114 | Oswego County, New York, United States | September 13, 2012 | Details |
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July 21, 2012 | jsherman | Oakland County, Michigan, United States | August 03, 2012 | Details |
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July 21, 2012 | Landon | Cass County, Indiana, United States | July 25, 2012 | Details |
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June 28, 2012 | Chip Krilowicz | Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States | July 23, 2012 | Details |
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July 11, 2012 | Jeff Trahan | Saratoga County, New York, United States | July 22, 2012 | Details |
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July 08, 2012 | Peggy O | Taylor County, Wisconsin, United States | July 11, 2012 | Details |
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June 22, 2012 | dncms | Knox County, Ohio, United States | July 06, 2012 | Details |
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June 30, 2012 | aarongunnar | Dunn County, Wisconsin, United States | July 05, 2012 | Details |
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August 25, 2010 | cbth76 | Lee County, Iowa, United States | July 03, 2012 | Details |
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July 01, 2012 | novembergale | Chautauqua County, New York, United States | July 02, 2012 | Details |
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May 18, 2012 | tarmat | Bennington County, Vermont, United States | June 18, 2012 | Details |
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June 08, 2012 | scottxot | York (mainland only) County, Maine, United States | June 11, 2012 | Details |
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May 23, 2012 | Rick Henle | Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States | June 11, 2012 | Details |
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May 27, 2012 | Doug Bruce | Hamblen County, Tennessee, United States | June 04, 2012 | Details |
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May 16, 2012 | jim8435wisc | Columbia County, Wisconsin, United States | May 31, 2012 | Details |
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May 04, 2012 | dendroica5 | Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States | May 22, 2012 | Details |
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May 08, 2012 | M_jaskot | Augusta County, Virginia, United States | May 22, 2012 | Details |
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May 12, 2012 | Lauenstein | Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States | May 22, 2012 | Details |
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April 20, 2012 | K Stilwell | Tazewell County, Virginia, United States | May 17, 2012 | Details |
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August 20, 2011 | Rick Henle | Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States | May 16, 2012 | Details |
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April 20, 2011 | Chip Krilowicz | Camden County, New Jersey, United States | May 16, 2012 | Details |
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July 20, 2010 | Chip Krilowicz | Burlington County, New Jersey, United States | May 16, 2012 | Details |
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April 13, 2012 | Chip Krilowicz | Gloucester County, New Jersey, United States | May 16, 2012 | Details |
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April 16, 2012 | Chip Krilowicz | Gloucester County, New Jersey, United States | May 16, 2012 | Details |
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May 10, 2012 | aarongunnar | Chippewa County, Wisconsin, United States | May 13, 2012 | Details |
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April 21, 2012 | SaveNLivess | Suffolk County, New York, United States | April 28, 2012 | Details |
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June 04, 2011 | Chip Krilowicz | Sussex County, New Jersey, United States | March 31, 2012 | Details |
| July 13, 1994 | legacy.reporter (Tor Hansen) | Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States | January 01, 2012 | Details | |
| August 11, 1994 | legacy.reporter (Tor Hansen) | Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States | January 01, 2012 | Details |
