Bug FAQTailed Copper
Tharsalea arota · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Lycaenidae
The tailed copper butterfly has a wingspan of about 30 to 35 millimeters. It lives in western North America, from New Mexico up to Oregon and down to southern California and Baja California. Adults drink flower nectar while the caterpillars eat leaves of Ribes plants.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
It is often mistaken for Lycaena gorgon or Lycaena xanthoides.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The average wingspan ranges from 30 to 35 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is found across North America from New Mexico northward to Oregon and southward to southern California and Baja California.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults feed on flower nectar. Caterpillars eat the leaves of Ribes species.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are on the wing from May through August, producing one generation each year. The species overwinters in the egg stage.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are active from May to August, representing the single yearly generation.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range includes the western United States and northern Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 8 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Colorado, New Mexico, Oregon, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Idaho.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
When can I see adult tailed copper butterflies?
Adults fly from May through August each year.
Source: Wikipedia
What other butterflies might I mistake for a tailed copper?
It is commonly confused with Lycaena gorgon and Lycaena xanthoides.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Lycaenidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lycaena_arota
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.