SPECIES ACCOUNT
AMERICAN COPPER
(Lycaenas phlaeas)
Vineyard Overview: The American Copper is
common and widely distributed in open areas across
the Vineyard, especially in areas that have seen some
degree of human disturbance. It ranks among the
most likely butterflies to visit or reproduce in yards
and gardens. American Coppers produce multiple
generations during the course of a year, and adults
can usually be found from late April into October
(there is at least one November record from the
Vineyard!).
Adults spend much of their time perched on or near
flowers. Given their size, they are difficult to spot
when perched, so you’re mostly likely to spot this
species when it takes flight. As with many other
butterflies, though, individuals often return within a
minute or two to perch on or near the spot they
started out in.
An American Copper, its colors faded by wear, nectaring on goldenrod.
Note the pattern of bold, black spotting. Photo: Matt Pelikan
few insects that seem to eat it, this butterfly may help
restrain it a little. Caterpillars may eat the flowers of
their host plant, a more effective means of controlling
a population than just eating the leaves.
Strategies:
Identification: A small butterfly, about the size of a
dime, with bright orange forewings marked by black
dots, and gray hindwings with orange margins. No
other butterfly that occurs on the Vineyard is likely to
be confused with this species, if you get a good look.
But American Coppers are small and fast-flying, so
detecting and seeing them can be a challenge.
Ecological functions: Like most other butterflies,
American Coppers function as pollinators for a wide
range of flowers. Also, the plant that their caterpillars
feed on, sorrel, is an aggressive and generally
undesirable weed of yards and agricultural areas.
American Coppers ordinarily aren’t numerous
enough to control this plant, but as one of relatively
1. Protect over-wintering eggs. The American Copper
is one of relatively few Vineyard butterflies that
spends the winter as a dormant egg, hatching and
starting its larval development with the onset of
warm weather in the spring. Eggs are vulnerable to
physical damage or dehydration during the winter;
you can boost the chances of eggs surviving until
spring by ensuring that there are areas of undisturbed
leaf litter in your yard or garden.
2. Provide larval host plant. The plant that American
Copper caterpillars usually feed on is wood sorrel, a
ubiquitous exotic agricultural weed on the Vineyard.
You probably don’t need to encourage this plant in
your yard – it will do just fine on its own. But lawn
The Nature Conservancy Massachusetts Islands Office
18 Helen Avenue, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568
Brian Lawlor, Program Manager | [email protected] | (508) 693-6287 Ext. 10
areas that are rigorously weeded, or treated with
herbicides that target broad-leafed plants, may not
contain this plant. Resist the impulse to “overmanage” your yard, which can result in low plant
diversity and limited resources for all kinds of
wildlife.
3. Ensure a season-long supply of native nectar
sources. American Coppers will nectar
enthusiastically on nearly any small flower:
blueberry, milkweed, goldenrods, and asters are
among the native flowers that will attract this
butterfly. Because of the long season for this species
on the Vineyard, with three generations in a typical
year, American Coppers will benefit from flowers that
bloom very early and very late in the season.
4. Create shelter. Like other insects, American
Coppers benefit from having places to hide and take
shelter at night and during cold or wet weather.
Unmowed areas, weedy borders, and deep leaf litter
are the kinds of places butterflies seek shelter.
Notes: The origin of this butterfly is somewhat
cloudy. The American Copper is closely related to
(and may be the same species as) the Little Copper of
Europe and Asia. The two forms, though, are easy to
tell apart because the Old World form has tiny “tails”
appended to the rear edge of its hindwing. Nobody
knows for sure if the American Copper arrived
recently, with European settlers, and then lost its
“tails,” or if it has been here for millennia and
diverged from the Old World population during that
time. Whatever its origin, this butterfly is common
and widespread across much of North America.