Bog Copper (Lycaena epixanthe [Boisduval & LeConte])
Wing span: 7/8 - 1 inch (2.2 - 2.5 cm).
Identification: Upperside of male brownish with purple iridescence; female dull gray-brown. Underside of both sexes white or pale tan; hindwing with very small black spots and red zigzag border on outer margin.
Life history: Males perch on low plants to watch for females. Eggs are laid singly at base of host plant; caterpillars feed on shoots and leaves. First-stage caterpillars overwinter in their eggs, often underwater.
Flight: One flight from June-September.
Caterpillar hosts: Shrubby cranberries in the heath family (Ericaceae).
Adult food: Water from raindrops and nectar from cranberry flowers.
Habitat: Acid bogs with cranberries and other Ericaceae.
Range: Maine south to New Jersey and West Virginia; west through northern Great Lake states and Ontario.
