''Lycaena helloides'', the purplish copper, is a
butterfly of the family
Lycaenidae. It is found in North America from the
Great Lakes area to
British Columbia, south to
Baja California.
Butterflies and Moths of North America
/ref>
The wingspan is 30–38 mm. The upper surface of the males is brown with a purple iridescence, while females are more orange. The hindwings of both males and females have a broad orange band at the margin. Adults are generally on wing from May to July and again from August to October in two generations per year, although up to four generations per year may occur at some locations. In the northern part of the range, there is one generation with adults on wing from July to August. Adults feed on flower nectar.
The larvae feed on the leaves of '' Polygonum'', ''Rumex
The docks and sorrels, genus ''Rumex'', are a genus of about 200 species of annual, biennial, and perennial herbs in the buckwheat family, Polygonaceae.
Members of this genus are very common perennial herbs with a native almost worldwide distribu ...
'', and sometimes '' Potentilla'' species. The species overwinters as an egg.
References
Butterflies described in 1852
Lycaena
Lycaenidae of South America
{{Lycaeninae-stub