Edith’s Copper
(Tharsalea editha)
Coppers
Appearance: Below, hindwing gray with many irregularly shaped brown spots; also shows submarginal row of white inward pointing arrowheads. Above, male is dark brown with black cell end bars; female brown with orange patches and orange marginal band on hindwing.
Wingspan: Small; 7/8 to 1 1/4 inches.
Habitat: Mountain meadows, stream sides and sagebrush flats. Almost always west of the Continental Divide.
Flight Times: Late June to August; one brood.
Larval Foodplant: Various docks and knotweeds.
Did You Know…
This butterfly was named by Theodore Mead for W. H. Edwards’ daughter, whom Mead later married (Pyle, 1981).
