Windwolf
Crex Meadows Butterflies... Purplish Copper
Purplish Copper
Lycaena helloides
Wing span: Wing span: 1 1/8 - 1 1/2 inches (3 - 3.8 cm).
Caterpillar hosts: Knotweeds (Polygonum) and docks (Rumex) in the buckwheat family (Polygonaceae), cinquefoils in the rose family (Rosaceae).
Eggs are scattered at the base of the host plant or in litter beneath it.
Habitat: Disturbed areas including roadsides and open fields; wet meadows, marshes, streamsides, and valleys.
Picture on right and two below taken June 14, 2007
There were many of these guys on the north end of Crex Meadows when the pictures were taken. The winds had come up so it was very hard to get a focused picture. The group would begin to open their wings for a pose and this would spread from flower to flower until most of the Coppers would be open. As soon as one or two took flight, the open wing display would cease.
It is very likely the Bronze Copper and the American Copper are also residents of Crex Meadows.
Picture on left taken July 30, 2007
| Kingdom | Animalia | (Animals) |
| Phylum | Arthropoda | (Arthropods) |
| Superclass | Hexapoda | (Hexapods) |
| Class | Insecta | (Insects) |
| Subclass | Pterygota | (Winged Insects) |
| Order | Lepidoptera | (Butterflies and Moths) |
| Superfamily | Papilionoidea | (Butterflies) |
| Family | Lycaenidae | (Gossamer Winged Butterflies) |
| Subfamily | Lycaeninae | (Coppers) |
| Genus | Lycaena | |
| Species | helloides | (Purplish Copper) |
Picture on right taken July 30, 2007