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• Hike with Mike

• The butterflies:
• Gossamer-wing Butterflies
  • Harvesters
  • Coppers
  • Hairstreaks
  • Blues
• Coppers
  • American Copper
  • Gray Copper
  • Bronze Copper
  • Bog Copper
  • Dorcas Copper
  • Purplish Copper

Purplish Copper

(Lycaena helloides)

The Purplish Copper can be found throughout the state, but even within its range it appears to vary greatly in abundance from year to year.

Identifying characteristics: Fresh, male specimens of this species show a purplish sheen over mainly a brownish background, with black spots and a black border. Males have an orange zigzag pattern on the hind wing margin, while females also have orange throughout the upper surface and additional splotches of orange showing through on the hindwing. The females do not have the purplish color of the males and are slightly larger as can be seen in the pair in the last two photos. Underneath, the sexes are similar, the upper wing orange with black spots, the under wing a grayish orange with black spots and a thin zigzag, orange band in the hindwing margin.

Similar species: Dorcas and Bog Coppers. The Dorcas and the Purplish Coppers are very much alike, and are difficult to tell apart in the field. Dorcas Coppers are somewhat smaller, males are generally darker than the Purplish Copper males, and females have very much reduced or even lack, orange in the upper wing above. Bog Coppers are smaller, associated solely with acid bogs where their host plants, cranberries, grow. Bog copper females lack the orange on the upper wing above, and the ground color below is often much lighter than in the Purplish Copper.

Habitat: Moist areas where various species of Docks and Knotweed, the Purplish Copper’s host plants, are found.

Flight: Two broods in Wisconsin; one brood in late May and June, and then a second brood in late July into August.

Abundance: Uncommon in Wisconsin.

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