Bronze Copper

Resident in northern North America, west to Alberta. (Scott 1986). Habitats are UPPER AUSTRAL TO LOWER CANADIAN ZONE MOIST MEADOWS, MARCHES AND LAKESHORES. Hosts plants are usually herbaceous with most known hosts from genus Rumex (POLYGONACEAE). Eggs are laid on the host plant singly. Individuals overwinter as eggs. There are usually two flights per year, JUN15-JULY15, AND AUG15-SEP15; in high altitudes and northern parts of the range there is one flight between JULY15-AUG15 (Scott 1986).

Not of concern.

One annual brood, the flight peaking in mid July to early August.

Occurs from the southwestern Northwest Territories south to New Mexico and Oklahoma, east to the Atlantic seaboard. Absent from the western Mountains (Opler 1999).

The large size (wingspan generally 30 to 38 mm) and bright orange, black-spotted forewing underside will distinguish the Bronze from other coppers. There are no named subspecies.

Wetland edges, moist meadows, and sedge fens where dock (Rumex) grows.

The eggs, which hibernate, are white or greenish white (Scott 1986). The larva is yellowish green with a dark dorsal stripe (Layberry et al. 1998), and pupae are light brown with dark dots (Scott 1986). The adults perch on tall grasses and sedges (males wait for females), and colonies tend to be localized in distribution.

The larvae feed on a number of species of dock (Rumex spp.), and are usually associated with Rumex crispus, and possibly also feed on smartweed (Polygonum coccineum) (Bird et al. 1995).