Blue Copper

(Tharsalea heteronea - formerly Lycaena heteronea)
Coppers

Appearance: Above, male is brilliant blue with no spots and with fine black veins and border fringed with white; female dull gray-brown or light blue with a scattering of black spots and white fringe. Below, both male and female white to gray with no or few black spots.

Wingspan: Small; 1 1/8 to 1 3/4 inches.

Habitat: Brushy areas, canyons, moist meadows and open areas; foothills, montane.

Flight Times: May to August; one brood.  Female lays eggs on the bracts of host plants where they overwinter.

Larval Foodplant:  Sulphur flower, wild buckwheats.

Did You Know...
Most male coppers set up a perch and wait for females to pass; Blue Coppers patrol and search for females, much like "true blue" males (Opler, 1999).  Erratic flier found close to the ground. Often mistaken for Boisduval's Blue.

Species Gallery (click to enlarge)