How to Identify American Copper Butterflies

American Copper Butterflies (or Lycaena phlaeas) are beautiful little butterflies that are black and orange or copper in color as the name suggests. The following will show you how to identify an American Copper Butterfly.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Make sure you are in a location where the butterfly is known to live. American Copper Butterflies are found in most of the northeast states of the U.S. and even in Canada, Alaska and Great Britain.

2. Check the coloring of the inside wing of the butterfly. The forewing of an American Copper Butterfly is a fiery orange or copper color with black specs and with black coloring around the edge. The hindwing is black or dark gray with the same orange or copper color along the bottom.

3. Check the coloring of the underside wings of the butterfly, which is gray with black specks on the forewing and an orange zigzag stripe around the edge of the hindwing.

4. Notice the wing span. If it is 7/8 inches to 1 3/8 in width than it is just the right size for an American Copper Butterfly.

5. Observe its flight pattern. American Copper Butterflies typically fly 1–2 feet off the ground and don't stay in the air very long.

6. Watch to see what flowers it is feeding on. American Copper Butterflies enjoy nectar from buttercup, ox-eye daisies, butterfly weed, yarrow, and clover.

Tips & Warnings

• You can find American Copper Butterfly eggs on the underside of sheep sorrel and curled dock leaves and caterpillars feeding on these leaves.

Resources

• Learn more about butterflies