Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History

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Santa Barbara Field Guides - Butterflies
Lepidoptera
   Lycaenidae

     Lycaena gorgon
     Gorgon Copper


male upperside
male underside
female upperside
female underside

Size: wingspread 1.25-1.6 in.
Recognition: Male is brown with black at base of white FW and HW fringes; female is brown with yellow patches in FW and yellow-orange markings on bottom of HW; undersides with row of orange spots along edge of HW.
Flight period: Adults are active from late spring to mid-summer.
Hostplants: The larvae eat buckwheats (Eriogonum - Polygonaceae).
Habitat: They are found in scrubby foothill mountain areas, and chaparral canyons.
Distribution: Gorgon Coppers occur from southern Oregon south to Baja California, principally at low to mid-elevations in California.

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