Butterflies and Moths of North America

collecting and sharing data about Lepidoptera

Bronze Copper
Lycaena hyllus (Cramer, 1775)


Family: Lycaenidae
Subfamily: Lycaeninae
Identification: Upperside of male iridescent copper-brown; female forewing yellow-orange with black spots. Underside forewing of both sexes orange with black spots; underside hindwing is gray-white with black spots and a broad orange outer margin.
Wing Span: 1 1/4 - 1 7/8 inches (3.2 - 4.8 cm).
Life History: Males perch on low growth near host plants to watch for females. Eggs are laid singly on plants. Eggs hibernate until spring; caterpillars eat leaves.
Flight: Two in the north and west, from June-September; three in southern part of range, from May-November.
Caterpillar Hosts: Herbs of the buckwheat family (Polygonaceae) including curly dock (Rumex crispus).
Adult Food: Adults visit flowers only occasionally, but have been seen taking nectar at blackberry and red clover.
Habitat: Low, wet areas such as bogs, marshes, wet meadows, ponds.
Range: Maine west across southern Canada and the Great Lake states to eastern Montana and central Colorado; south to Arkansas, Mississippi, West Virginia, and Maryland.
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.
Alternate Scientific Names:
Hyllolycaena hyllus
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