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.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 289 - 312 of 6493 verified sightings
Observation date: Oct 02, 2017
Submitted by: monikawood
Region: Steuben County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Oct 03, 2017
Observation date: Sep 23, 2017
Submitted by: fiferjanis
Region: Hancock County, Maine, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Oct 03, 2017
Observation date: Aug 12, 2017
Submitted by: aarongunnar
Region: Grant County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Oct 01, 2017
Observation date: Sep 11, 2017
Submitted by: aarongunnar
Region: Rock County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Oct 01, 2017
Observation date: Sep 23, 2017
Submitted by: satchmo0802
Region: Nassau County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Sep 23, 2017
Observation date: Aug 26, 2017
Submitted by: mcdunn
Region: Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: sharonstichter2
Verified date: Sep 20, 2017
Observation date: Aug 04, 2017
Submitted by: aarongunnar
Region: Adams County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Sep 18, 2017
Observation date: Jun 29, 2015
Submitted by: Kathy Brown
Region: Hancock County, Maine, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Sep 04, 2017
Observation date: Aug 26, 2017
Submitted by: pbauke
Region: Cape May County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: Will Kerling
Verified date: Sep 02, 2017
Observation date: Jun 09, 2016
Submitted by: Kathy Brown
Region: Hancock County, Maine, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 28, 2017
Observation date: Jul 19, 2017
Submitted by: the meowking
Region: Suffolk County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 02, 2017
Observation date: Jul 14, 2017
Submitted by: philsfotos1
Region: Iosco County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 16, 2017
Observation date: Jul 15, 2017
Submitted by: philsfotos1
Region: Iosco County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 16, 2017
Observation date: Jun 16, 2017
Submitted by: Kzfisherman
Region: Mason County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 13, 2017
Observation date: Jul 11, 2017
Submitted by: davidboon
Region: Macomb County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 12, 2017
Observation date: Jul 11, 2017
Submitted by: philsfotos1
Region: Iosco County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 12, 2017
Observation date: Jul 10, 2017
Submitted by: Jeanne9953
Region: Westchester County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 10, 2017
Observation date: Jul 07, 2017
Submitted by: JC32647
Region: Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 07, 2017
Observation date: Jun 16, 2017
Submitted by: Kalley girl
Region: Nova Scotia, Canada
Verified by: PDeGennaro
Verified date: Jul 03, 2017
Observation date: May 27, 2017
Submitted by: jpfitzer
Region: Georgia, Walker County, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Jun 26, 2017
Observation date: Jul 04, 2010
Submitted by: Bennet
Region: Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: sharonstichter2
Verified date: Jun 24, 2017
Observation date: Apr 23, 2017
Submitted by: Kzfisherman
Region: Newton County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: Howell_Curtis
Verified date: Jun 08, 2017
Observation date: May 27, 2017
Submitted by: Tony DeSantis
Region: Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jun 05, 2017
Observation date: May 20, 2017
Submitted by: ben.mcgann@gmail.com
Region: Oswego County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: May 20, 2017
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