Dorcas Copper - Lycaena dorcas
![[Dorcas Copper image]](img/010177.jpg "Dorcas Copper - nr Lake Ainslie, NS - 2012-07-31")
Photo © Jim Edsall
Status in Nova Scotia
Extremely rare. An isolated population exists in Inverness Co., Cape Breton. The Maritimes Butterfly Atlas S-rank for this species is "S1?:Extremely rare: May be especially vulnerable to extirpation (typically 5 or fewer occurrences or very few remaining individuals)".
Flight Period
Late July to early August.
Habitat
Fens where the larval food plant grows.
Larval Foodplants
Shrubby Cinquefoil, Potentilla fruticosa.
Similar Species in Nova Scotia
Similar to Maritime Copper but smaller, and habitat completely different.
Notes
The Journal of the Acadian Entomological Society published a paper on the first record of this species in Nova Scotia. You can read it on-line, here.
Further Reading
Extremely rare. An isolated population exists in Inverness Co., Cape Breton. The Maritimes Butterfly Atlas S-rank for this species is "S1?:Extremely rare: May be especially vulnerable to extirpation (typically 5 or fewer occurrences or very few remaining individuals)".
Flight Period
Late July to early August.
Habitat
Fens where the larval food plant grows.
Larval Foodplants
Shrubby Cinquefoil, Potentilla fruticosa.
Similar Species in Nova Scotia
Similar to Maritime Copper but smaller, and habitat completely different.
Notes
The Journal of the Acadian Entomological Society published a paper on the first record of this species in Nova Scotia. You can read it on-line, here.
Further Reading
- eButterfly site
- Butterflies of Canada site (n.b. As of May 2021, many portions of this site not working properly.)
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