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.
Please donate!
We depend on donations to keep Butterflies and Moths of North America freely available. We want to express our gratitude to all who showed their support by making a contribution this year. You can donate to support this project at any time.
Advertise with us!
Do you have a product or service that you think would interest BAMONA users? If you would like to advertise on this website, contact us by email, or use the contact form and select the "Advertising" category.
Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 6488 verified sightings
Observation date: Sep 14, 2025
Submitted by: Daniel Morton
Region: Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 28, 2025
Observation date: Sep 05, 2025
Submitted by: Melizardo321
Region: Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 06, 2025
Observation date: Aug 28, 2025
Submitted by: Colin Gillette
Region: Bradford County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Aug 30, 2025
Observation date: Aug 16, 2025
Submitted by: dbryant562
Region: Summit County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 24, 2025
Observation date: Aug 09, 2025
Submitted by: jwileyrains
Region: Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 17, 2025
Observation date: Aug 13, 2025
Submitted by: Bowbender
Region: Ashland County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 13, 2025
Observation date: Aug 05, 2025
Submitted by: drifter423
Region: New Brunswick, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 13, 2025
Observation date: Jul 22, 2025
Submitted by: CincyJeff
Region: Adams County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 09, 2025
Observation date: Aug 03, 2025
Submitted by: Daniel Morton
Region: Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 03, 2025
Observation date: Sep 08, 2024
Submitted by: Daniel Morton
Region: Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 09, 2025
Observation date: Sep 11, 2021
Submitted by: Daniel Morton
Region: Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 09, 2025
Observation date: May 07, 2024
Submitted by: Paul Miller
Region: Washington County, Rhode Island, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 05, 2025
Observation date: May 14, 2025
Submitted by: Bob Jacobson
Region: Chippewa County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: May 19, 2025
Observation date: Aug 18, 2024
Submitted by: TySmith
Region: Amelia County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: drerbium
Verified date: Feb 02, 2025
Observation date: Jul 30, 2015
Submitted by: jrtindall
Region: Ocean County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 17, 2024
Observation date: Jul 22, 2023
Submitted by: jrtindall
Region: Mercer County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 17, 2024
Observation date: Jun 07, 2024
Submitted by: k.d.stutzman
Region: Burlington County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Nov 13, 2024
Observation date: Sep 26, 2024
Submitted by: naj.pilla
Region: Elkhart County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Oct 13, 2024
Observation date: Sep 27, 2024
Submitted by: jfkoza
Region: Essex County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 29, 2024
Observation date: Sep 01, 2024
Submitted by: Bob Jacobson
Region: Chippewa County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Sep 01, 2024
Observation date: Aug 25, 2024
Submitted by: TJ in Derry
Region: Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 27, 2024
Observation date: Aug 24, 2024
Submitted by: drmarc60223
Region: La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 26, 2024
Observation date: Aug 23, 2024
Submitted by: J Jessop
Region: Watauga County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: Dennis Forsythe
Verified date: Aug 25, 2024
Observation date: Jul 25, 1990
Submitted by: papilio1
Region: Mono County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 19, 2024
- 1 of 271
- next ›