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 1 - 24 of 6474 verified sightings
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
Observation date: Aug 14, 2024
Submitted by: Elfin
Region: Sussex County, Delaware, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 16, 2024
Observation date: Aug 05, 1987
Submitted by: papilio1
Region: Inyo County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 12, 2024
Observation date: Aug 04, 2023
Submitted by: dvollmar
Region: Lucas County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 12, 2024
Observation date: Aug 08, 2024
Submitted by: ruby_charlotte
Region: Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 09, 2024
Observation date: May 28, 2024
Submitted by: dvollmar
Region: Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 09, 2024
Observation date: Jul 26, 2024
Submitted by: barthsm
Region: Erie County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 02, 2024
Observation date: Jul 25, 2024
Submitted by: Elisabeth_Cassinari
Region: Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Jul 29, 2024
Observation date: Jul 12, 2024
Submitted by: chirpus
Region: Albany County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 16, 2024
Observation date: Jul 05, 2024
Submitted by: Eric Hartshaw
Region: Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 13, 2024
Observation date: Jul 01, 2024
Submitted by: jwileyrains
Region: Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 01, 2024
Observation date: Aug 24, 2020
Submitted by: Benjamin Miller
Region: Knox County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 29, 2024
Observation date: Jun 01, 2024
Submitted by: Ozark_Bill
Region: Christian County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jun 24, 2024
Observation date: May 28, 2024
Submitted by: Allison Barta
Region: Cass County, Minnesota, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jun 05, 2024
Observation date: Jun 01, 2024
Submitted by: Tom Dudones
Region: Franklin County, New York, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jun 02, 2024
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