Gray Copper (Lycaena dione [Scudder])
Wing span: 1 1/3 - 1 ½ inches (2.4 - 3.8 cm).
Identification: Dark gray above with 2 black spots on forewing. Outer edge of hindwing with pale orange and black band. Below, wings pale gray with black spots. Outer hindwing band repeated.
Life history: Male perch and patrol periodically in search of receptive females.
Flight: One flight from mid-June to July, rarely August.
Caterpillar hosts: Several species of docks (Rumex).
Adult food: Flower nectar of various plants including alfalfa, sweet clover, and milkweeds.
Habitat: Relatively flat open areas including prairies, waste fields, stream beds, edges of reservoirs.
Range: Southern Canadian prairie provinces south through Great Plains to southern Missouri, Oklahoma, and northern Texas.
