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 193 - 216 of 6493 verified sightings
Observation date: Jun 12, 2020
Submitted by: kathybrown
Region: Hancock County, Maine, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 24, 2020
Observation date: Jul 07, 2018
Submitted by: schaarschmidt
Region: Lucas County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 17, 2020
Observation date: May 16, 2020
Submitted by: L Reid
Region: La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Jun 14, 2020
Observation date: Jun 08, 2020
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 11, 2020
Observation date: Jun 07, 2020
Submitted by: Tommie Rogers
Region: Georgia, Walker County, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Jun 10, 2020
Observation date: Jun 07, 2020
Submitted by: schaarschmidt
Region: Georgia, Walker County, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Jun 10, 2020
Observation date: May 30, 2020
Submitted by: TRay
Region: Oakland County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 08, 2020
Observation date: Jun 04, 2020
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Montcalm County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 05, 2020
Observation date: Jun 01, 2020
Submitted by: Mark Plessner
Region: Lucas County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 04, 2020
Observation date: May 29, 2020
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Newaygo County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Jun 01, 2020
Observation date: May 29, 2020
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Newaygo County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: May 31, 2020
Observation date: May 23, 2020
Submitted by: TRay
Region: Oakland County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: May 23, 2020
Observation date: May 22, 2020
Submitted by: jbirder24
Region: Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: May 23, 2020
Observation date: Jul 25, 2019
Submitted by: Gary G
Region: Overton County, Tennessee, United States
Verified by: dbruce
Verified date: Mar 02, 2020
Observation date: Sep 17, 2019
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Kent County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Feb 19, 2020
Observation date: Sep 17, 2019
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Kent County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Feb 19, 2020
Observation date: Jun 25, 2006
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Feb 04, 2020
Observation date: Jul 16, 2019
Submitted by: L Reid
Region: La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Dec 08, 2019
Observation date: Aug 02, 2019
Submitted by: Christine Stanke
Region: Portage County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Dec 08, 2019
Observation date: Sep 28, 2019
Submitted by: Christine Stanke
Region: Portage County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Dec 08, 2019
Observation date: Sep 27, 2019
Submitted by: Rjfischer
Region: Wayne County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Sep 28, 2019
Observation date: Sep 18, 2019
Submitted by: John429
Region: Jackson County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Sep 22, 2019
Observation date: Sep 20, 2019
Submitted by: Ed Rothwell
Region: Livingston County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Sep 22, 2019
Observation date: Sep 19, 2019
Submitted by: Jazzejan
Region: Nassau County, New York, United States
Verified by: rosslayberry
Verified date: Sep 19, 2019
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