Resident
Common

Conservation Status
Vermont S5
Global G5

North American Range
Maine west from across southern Canada and the Great Lake states to eastern Montana and central Colorado; south to Arkansas, Mississippi, West Virginia, and Maryland.

Bronze Coppers are dwindling in numbers, yet the conditions needed for this species to thrive are not even fully understood enough to stop their decline. Some have theorized that urbanization of their primary habitat (wetlands) is to blame and that even reclamation of previously drained areas in not enough as they may have more specialized needs than we can readily recognize. These bronze beauties can often be located flying low and lazy in the immediate vicinity of their host plants. Males perch on low growth near host plants to watch for females

Identification

Upperside of male iridescent copper-brown; female forewing yellow-orange with black spots. Underside forewing of both sexes orange with black spots; underside hindwing is gray-white with black spots and a broad orange outer margin.

Flightbcopperchart-1

Two broods with first peak flight in the beginning of July and the second in late August to mid-September. Extreme dates: 14 May 2003 in Bennington (K. Hemeon) and 17 October 2002 in Addison (B. Pfeiffer).

Distribution and Habitat

Common west of the Green Mountains and rare to uncommon east. Bronze Copper frequents wet meadows, ditches, pond edges and other low, wet areas. There is some dispute as to how adults obtain nourishment and how often they nectar, but they have been seen nectaring at Blackberry (Rubus) and Red Clover (Trifolium pratense). Hostplants are Curly Dock (Rumex crispus) and Knotweeds (Polygonum).bronzecoppperbcopperchart-2

For more information visit eButterfly