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 25 - 48 of 6474 verified sightings
Observation date: May 24, 2024
Submitted by: jmgesell
Region: Monroe County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: May 29, 2024
Observation date: May 17, 2024
Submitted by: Bob Jacobson
Region: Chippewa County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: May 22, 2024
Observation date: May 10, 2023
Submitted by: catbirdcat
Region: Madison County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 22, 2024
Observation date: Jul 15, 2023
Submitted by: chherrmann
Region: Page County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 22, 2024
Observation date: May 09, 2024
Submitted by: jfkoza
Region: Essex County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: May 16, 2024
Observation date: May 14, 2024
Submitted by: jmgesell
Region: Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: May 16, 2024
Observation date: Sep 29, 2021
Submitted by: tiki33wv
Region: Pocahontas County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Apr 03, 2024
Observation date: Sep 29, 2021
Submitted by: tiki33wv
Region: Pocahontas County, West Virginia, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Apr 02, 2024
Observation date: May 27, 2023
Submitted by: terrymortier
Region: Polk County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Mar 08, 2024
Observation date: Aug 26, 2023
Submitted by: NikkiM
Region: Carbon County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Nov 06, 2023
Observation date: Sep 10, 2023
Submitted by: Bob Jacobson
Region: Chippewa County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Oct 08, 2023
Observation date: Sep 08, 2023
Submitted by: Ty-Sharrow
Region: Izard County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Sep 11, 2023
Observation date: Sep 01, 2023
Submitted by: Kuccamunga
Region: Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 01, 2023
Observation date: Aug 28, 2023
Submitted by: tedzimmerman
Region: Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 28, 2023
Observation date: Jul 09, 2023
Submitted by: naj.pilla
Region: White County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Aug 22, 2023
Observation date: Aug 19, 2023
Submitted by: dlister
Region: Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Aug 21, 2023
Observation date: Oct 15, 2021
Submitted by: Carol Thornton-...
Region: Washington County, Rhode Island, United States
Verified by: Harry Pavulaan
Verified date: Aug 14, 2023
Observation date: Jun 30, 2023
Submitted by: Sheryl Johnson
Region: Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 16, 2023
Observation date: Jul 06, 2023
Submitted by: ian pepper
Region: Essex County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jul 07, 2023
Observation date: Jun 30, 2023
Submitted by: ydlrun
Region: Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: davidwright
Verified date: Jul 04, 2023
Observation date: Jun 15, 2023
Submitted by: dlister
Region: Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Jun 16, 2023
Observation date: Apr 12, 2023
Submitted by: Stephen Craig
Region: Christian County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: CA Ivy
Verified date: Jun 11, 2023
Observation date: May 26, 2023
Submitted by: Bob Jacobson
Region: Chippewa County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: May 26, 2023
Observation date: Jul 01, 2017
Submitted by: catbirdcat
Region: Carroll County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Apr 17, 2023
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