American Copper
Lycaena (Lycaena) hypophlaeas (Boisduval, 1852)
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Lepidoptera
- Family
- Lycaenidae
- Genus
- Lycaena
Range
Where it is recorded
Season shown in 1 of Ohio's 88 counties. Explore Ohio
- No result yet (62)
- Recorded, too few records for a result (22)
- Recorded, season not shown (3)
- Season shown (1)
Counties as a table
| County | Records |
|---|---|
| Adams County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Allen County | No qualifying records yet |
| Ashland County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Ashtabula County | 31 · Recorded, season not shown |
| Athens County | No qualifying records yet |
| Auglaize County | No qualifying records yet |
| Belmont County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Brown County | No qualifying records yet |
| Butler County | No qualifying records yet |
| Carroll County | No qualifying records yet |
| Champaign County | No qualifying records yet |
| Clark County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Clermont County | No qualifying records yet |
| Clinton County | No qualifying records yet |
| Columbiana County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Coshocton County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Crawford County | No qualifying records yet |
| Cuyahoga County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Darke County | No qualifying records yet |
| Defiance County | No qualifying records yet |
| Delaware County | No qualifying records yet |
| Erie County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Fairfield County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Fayette County | No qualifying records yet |
| Franklin County | No qualifying records yet |
| Fulton County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Gallia County | No qualifying records yet |
| Geauga County | No qualifying records yet |
| Greene County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Guernsey County | No qualifying records yet |
| Hamilton County | No qualifying records yet |
| Hancock County | No qualifying records yet |
| Hardin County | No qualifying records yet |
| Harrison County | No qualifying records yet |
| Henry County | No qualifying records yet |
| Highland County | No qualifying records yet |
| Hocking County | No qualifying records yet |
| Holmes County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Huron County | No qualifying records yet |
| Jackson County | No qualifying records yet |
| Jefferson County | No qualifying records yet |
| Knox County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Lake County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Lawrence County | No qualifying records yet |
| Licking County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Logan County | No qualifying records yet |
| Lorain County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Lucas County | 114 · Season shown |
| Madison County | No qualifying records yet |
| Mahoning County | No qualifying records yet |
| Marion County | No qualifying records yet |
| Medina County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Meigs County | No qualifying records yet |
| Mercer County | No qualifying records yet |
| Miami County | No qualifying records yet |
| Monroe County | No qualifying records yet |
| Montgomery County | No qualifying records yet |
| Morgan County | No qualifying records yet |
| Morrow County | No qualifying records yet |
| Muskingum County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Noble County | No qualifying records yet |
| Ottawa County | No qualifying records yet |
| Paulding County | No qualifying records yet |
| Perry County | No qualifying records yet |
| Pickaway County | No qualifying records yet |
| Pike County | No qualifying records yet |
| Portage County | No qualifying records yet |
| Preble County | No qualifying records yet |
| Putnam County | No qualifying records yet |
| Richland County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Ross County | No qualifying records yet |
| Sandusky County | No qualifying records yet |
| Scioto County | No qualifying records yet |
| Seneca County | No qualifying records yet |
| Shelby County | No qualifying records yet |
| Stark County | 22 · Recorded, season not shown |
| Summit County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Trumbull County | No qualifying records yet |
| Tuscarawas County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Union County | No qualifying records yet |
| Van Wert County | No qualifying records yet |
| Vinton County | No qualifying records yet |
| Warren County | No qualifying records yet |
| Washington County | No qualifying records yet |
| Wayne County | 48 · Recorded, season not shown |
| Williams County | No qualifying records yet |
| Wood County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Wyandot County | No qualifying records yet |
No mapped range from the range source used, the USGS Gap Analysis Project, which maps land vertebrates only.
Season
When it is recorded
In Ohio
Early August to mid-October, middle week mid-September
Recorded in two separate seasons, each shown with its own early, middle and late weeks. An earlier season is not shown: recorded in two separate seasons of its own.
Records per week from 378 records in 10 of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025. Shows when people recorded it, not a season or how common it is.
Show as a table
| Week | Records of American Copper | Years recorded | Records of all species |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 4–10 | 0 | 0 | 6,211 |
| Jan 11–17 | 0 | 0 | 5,146 |
| Jan 18–24 | 0 | 0 | 4,645 |
| Jan 25–31 | 0 | 0 | 4,698 |
| Feb 1–7 | 0 | 0 | 6,023 |
| Feb 8–14 | 0 | 0 | 5,888 |
| Feb 15–21 | 0 | 0 | 5,436 |
| Feb 22–28 | 0 | 0 | 6,846 |
| Mar 1–7 | 0 | 0 | 8,321 |
| Mar 8–14 | 0 | 0 | 10,384 |
| Mar 15–21 | 0 | 0 | 12,620 |
| Mar 22–28 | 0 | 0 | 13,949 |
| Mar 29 – Apr 4 | 0 | 0 | 19,661 |
| Apr 5–11 | 0 | 0 | 26,860 |
| Apr 12–18 | 0 | 0 | 39,925 |
| Apr 19–25 | 1 | 1 | 41,623 |
| Apr 26 – May 2 | 1 | 1 | 56,391 |
| May 3–9 | 4 | 3 | 52,952 |
| May 10–16 | 16 | 5 | 53,785 |
| May 17–23 | 8 | 4 | 57,698 |
| May 24–30 | 11 | 6 | 54,651 |
| May 31 – Jun 6 | 10 | 5 | 53,099 |
| Jun 7–13 | 6 | 4 | 53,700 |
| Jun 14–20 | 1 | 1 | 56,625 |
| Jun 21–27 | 4 | 3 | 55,361 |
| Jun 28 – Jul 4 | 17 | 6 | 58,477 |
| Jul 5–11 | 27 | 8 | 61,336 |
| Jul 12–18 | 50 | 10 | 64,722 |
| Jul 19–25 | 37 | 8 | 69,753 |
| Jul 26 – Aug 1 | 11 | 4 | 59,416 |
| Aug 2–8 | 6 | 2 | 59,712 |
| Aug 9–15 | 17 | 4 | 55,994 |
| Aug 16–22 | 11 | 5 | 54,328 |
| Aug 23–29 | 25 | 8 | 51,772 |
| Aug 30 – Sep 5 | 20 | 6 | 57,167 |
| Sep 6–12 | 11 | 5 | 59,075 |
| Sep 13–19 | 16 | 6 | 54,543 |
| Sep 20–26 | 15 | 7 | 45,860 |
| Sep 27 – Oct 3 | 22 | 7 | 43,180 |
| Oct 4–10 | 21 | 6 | 37,841 |
| Oct 11–17 | 8 | 5 | 30,824 |
| Oct 18–24 | 2 | 2 | 21,156 |
| Oct 25–31 | 0 | 0 | 19,021 |
| Nov 1–7 | 0 | 0 | 14,172 |
| Nov 8–14 | 0 | 0 | 12,621 |
| Nov 15–21 | 0 | 0 | 7,965 |
| Nov 22–28 | 0 | 0 | 8,136 |
| Nov 29 – Dec 5 | 0 | 0 | 6,083 |
| Dec 6–12 | 0 | 0 | 6,004 |
| Dec 13–19 | 0 | 0 | 5,423 |
| Dec 20–26 | 0 | 0 | 5,661 |
| Dec 27 – Jan 2 | 0 | 0 | 8,459 |
Reported as an adult
Usually reported as an adult early August to mid-October, middle week mid-September. An earlier season is not shown: recorded in two separate seasons of its own.
Reported as a caterpillar
No records here are marked as caterpillars yet, so there is no caterpillar season to show. One needs at least 20 records from 5 different years.
What these results show
These results show when people recorded a species, not when or where it occurs. Missing weeks and low counts do not mean absence or scarcity, and counts are not abundance. Contributed records reflect where, when and what people chose to observe.
Identification
How to identify it
Often confused with
- Bronze Copper Tharsalea (Epidemia) hyllusOften confused in Ohio: 11 identifications in Ohio named one where the other was meant
- Pearl Crescent Phyciodes tharos13 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant
From iNaturalist’s similar-species counts, refreshed monthly: confusions in Ohio first, then worldwide. Only species with an Ohio result are listed.
Months not reported
- Jan: no record
- Feb: no record
- Mar: no record
- Apr: recorded
- May: recorded
- Jun: recorded
- Jul: recorded
- Aug: recorded
- Sep: recorded
- Oct: recorded
- Nov: no record
- Dec: no record
Not reported in Ohio in November to March, 2016 to 2025.
Land cover where it is recorded
| Land cover | Its recordsAll Ohio records |
|---|---|
| Farmland | 35%11% |
| Developed | 30%49% |
| Forest | 17%31% |
| Grassland and shrub | 16%0.9% |
| Barren | 1%0.6% |
| Open water | 0.6%3% |
| Wetland | 0.6%5% |
From 181 records placed within 100 m, beside all Ohio records placed the same way. People record where they go, so this shows where records come from, not where the species lives. Land cover: USGS Annual NLCD, 2025 (opens in a new tab)
Finer identifications
Some Ohio records of this species were identified to a subspecies:
- Lycaena (Lycaena) hypophlaeas hypophlaeasEastern American Coppersubspecies
Every one of these records counts toward the American Copper's season above.
Why some records go further than species
Many species vary from place to place. Groups of a species that look or sound a little different, and live in different areas, can be named as subspecies. Observers and experts only identify a record that far when it shows enough detail to tell them apart. Records without that detail count at the species level.
Names: Catalogue of Life.
Sources
Where these results come from
- Records from iNaturalist research-grade observations and expert-identified GBIF datasets, CC0, CC BY and CC BY-NC. Sources
- Seasons use the published method and its evidence thresholds. Methods
- See it on iNaturalist (opens in a new tab)OpenPhenology is independent and not affiliated with iNaturalist.
Records behind the Ohio result
378 records from 2 datasets.
- iNaturalist Research-grade Observations (opens in a new tab) · iNaturalist.org · 376 recordsiNaturalist contributors, iNaturalist (2026). iNaturalist Research-grade Observations. iNaturalist.org. Occurrence dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/ab3s5x accessed via GBIF.org on 2026-11-13.
- iNaturalist observations (opens in a new tab) · iNaturalist.org · 2 recordsiNaturalist. Available from https://www.inaturalist.org. Accessed 2026-11-13
To cite: the GBIF download doi:10.15468/dl.y2jkt8 (opens in a new tab).
A spreadsheet (CSV) with a link to each record, on iNaturalist or GBIF. Records whose location was hidden by the observer or the source are counted but not linked.