Lustrous Copper
(Lycaena cupreus)
Coppers
Appearance: Above, red-orange with a black border and many small black spots, especially in female. Below, orange forewing and gray hindwing, both with numerous black spots and a thin red submarginal line on the hindwing. The spots on the female are more prominent than on the male.
Wingspan: Small; 1 to 1 1/4 inches.
Habitat: Alpine tundra and rockslides; alpine.
Flight Times: Mid-June to mid-August; one brood. Egg overwinters.
Larval Foodplant: Alpine sorrel.
Did You Know…
This is a species, fragmented throughout the west to alpine regions, that will be adversely effected if global temperatures continue to rise.
