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 337 - 360 of 6493 verified sightings
Observation date: Jun 02, 2016
Submitted by: jvkopple2
Region: Kalkaska County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 02, 2016
Observation date: May 29, 2016
Submitted by: StaceyTavarez
Region: Knox County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: May 30, 2016
Observation date: May 22, 2015
Submitted by: tjrickert
Region: Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Mar 23, 2016
Observation date: Aug 02, 2015
Submitted by: tjrickert
Region: Tucker County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Mar 12, 2016
Observation date: Jul 18, 2015
Submitted by: curtis.lehman
Region: Alleghany County, North Carolina, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Nov 24, 2015
Observation date: Jul 17, 2015
Submitted by: Trailmaker
Region: Jefferson County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Nov 04, 2015
Observation date: Oct 23, 2015
Submitted by: Don Gagnon
Region: Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: PDeGennaro
Verified date: Oct 27, 2015
Observation date: Sep 27, 2015
Submitted by: Cherylee Black
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Sep 28, 2015
Observation date: Sep 23, 2015
Submitted by: Cherylee Black
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Sep 26, 2015
Observation date: Sep 16, 2015
Submitted by: Tindomul1of9
Region: Nassau County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Sep 24, 2015
Observation date: Sep 11, 2015
Submitted by: BMcNaught
Region: Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 15, 2015
Observation date: Aug 26, 2015
Submitted by: digginflowers
Region: Sussex County, Delaware, United States
Verified by: richardhsmith
Verified date: Sep 10, 2015
Observation date: Aug 29, 2015
Submitted by: Dave Fairall
Region: Floyd County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: richardhsmith
Verified date: Sep 10, 2015
Observation date: Jul 23, 2015
Submitted by: tom nolan
Region: Cape May County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: Will Kerling
Verified date: Aug 24, 2015
Observation date: Aug 21, 2015
Submitted by: Paul_mel7
Region: Monroe County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 22, 2015
Observation date: Aug 19, 2015
Submitted by: Chris Blomme
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 20, 2015
Observation date: Aug 01, 2015
Submitted by: Chesaloosa
Region: Caroline County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: richardhsmith
Verified date: Aug 18, 2015
Observation date: Aug 12, 2015
Submitted by: caher001
Region: Carroll County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: richardhsmith
Verified date: Aug 17, 2015
Observation date: Aug 10, 2015
Submitted by: Cherylee Black
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Aug 11, 2015
Observation date: May 30, 2015
Submitted by: rogerashton
Region: Pike County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 26, 2015
Observation date: Jul 17, 2015
Submitted by: Lutya
Region: Albany County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jul 18, 2015
Observation date: Jun 05, 2015
Submitted by: Sue Orlowski
Region: Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: sharonstichter2
Verified date: Jul 13, 2015
Observation date: Jul 09, 2015
Submitted by: Intrinsic3141
Region: Suffolk County, New York, United States
Verified by: reutere
Verified date: Jul 09, 2015
Observation date: Jul 09, 2015
Submitted by: Intrinsic3141
Region: Suffolk County, New York, United States
Verified by: reutere
Verified date: Jul 09, 2015
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