Blue Copper
Lycaena heteronea Boisduval, 1852
Family: Lycaenidae
Subfamily: Lycaeninae
Identification: Upper surface of male bright blue, with darker veins; female dull blue to dark brown with numerous small dark spots. Underside of both sexes white to yellow-white; hindwing varies from having many to few black spots.
Wing Span: 1 1/8 - 1 3/8 inches (2.9 - 3.5 cm).
Life History: Most males patrol near host plants for females, but some perch. Females lay eggs singly on bracts under host leaves or umbels; eggs hatch the following spring. Young caterpillars feed on the underside of leaf; older ones eat all parts of the leaf.
Flight: One flight from May-August.
Caterpillar Hosts: Wild buckwheat (Eriogonum species) in the buckwheat family (Polygonaceae).
Adult Food: Nectar from flowers, including wild buckwheat.
Habitat: Brushy areas, open forest, mountain meadows, sagebrush; mostly at high elevations except for low elevations in central California.
Range: British Columbia south and east through southcentral California, northern Arizona, and northern New Mexico.
Conservation: Lycaena heteronea has The Nature Conservancy Global Rank of G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery. Varied Copper (subspecies clara) of southern California has been evaluated for conservation, and has The Nature Conservancy rank of T2 - Imperiled because of rarity (6 to 20 occurrences), or because of other factors demonstrably making it very vulnerable to extinction throughout its range. (Endangered throughout its range).
NCGR:
Management Needs: None reported.
Comments: NULL
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 488 verified sightings
Observation date: Jul 13, 2022
Submitted by: kidsiavd
Region: Gunnison County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: May 05, 2023
Observation date: Jul 27, 2022
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: La Plata County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Feb 19, 2023
Observation date: Jul 24, 2022
Submitted by: NikkiM
Region: Carbon County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Feb 14, 2023
Observation date: Aug 05, 2021
Submitted by: NikkiM
Region: Sublette County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Feb 13, 2023
Observation date: Jul 20, 2022
Submitted by: Pheasantboy77
Region: Gallatin County, Montana, United States
Verified by: stevekohler
Verified date: Jan 18, 2023
Observation date: Aug 17, 2022
Submitted by: CDCindy
Region: Blaine County, Idaho, United States
Verified by: stevekohler
Verified date: Oct 07, 2022
Observation date: Jun 25, 2019
Submitted by: Liz Osborn
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 16, 2022
Observation date: Aug 07, 2022
Submitted by: twofried
Region: Taos County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Aug 30, 2022
Observation date: Aug 21, 2022
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Eureka County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 29, 2022
Observation date: Jul 24, 2021
Submitted by: mongoose
Region: Glacier County, Montana, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Aug 21, 2022
Observation date: Aug 10, 2022
Submitted by: stevecary
Region:
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Aug 15, 2022
Observation date: Aug 06, 2022
Submitted by: glennfine
Region: Siskiyou County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 07, 2022
Observation date: May 12, 2013
Submitted by: Scott Alexander
Region: Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Aug 04, 2022
Observation date: Jul 10, 2022
Submitted by: sfbaywildlife
Region: Sonoma County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 25, 2022
Observation date: May 25, 2022
Submitted by: hasfitz5
Region: White Pine County, Nevada, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 25, 2022
Observation date: Jul 10, 2022
Submitted by: topper72
Region: Colfax County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 15, 2022
Observation date: Aug 28, 2012
Submitted by: lhrobinson9672
Region: Yellowstone National Park County, Wyoming, United States
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Jun 07, 2022
Observation date: Jul 12, 2021
Submitted by: mongoose
Region: Glacier County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Sep 07, 2021
Observation date: Jul 24, 2021
Submitted by: mongoose
Region: Glacier County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Sep 07, 2021
Observation date: Jul 24, 2021
Submitted by: mongoose
Region: Glacier County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Sep 07, 2021
Observation date: Jul 24, 2021
Submitted by: mongoose
Region: Glacier County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Sep 07, 2021
Observation date: Jul 22, 2021
Submitted by: glennfine
Region: Siskiyou County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 28, 2021
Observation date: Jul 11, 2021
Submitted by: dsperanza
Region: Powell County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jul 19, 2021
Observation date: Jul 13, 2021
Submitted by: topper72
Region: Colfax County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 16, 2021
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