Description

The Dorcas Copper (Tharsalea dorcas) is a small butterfly with orange-brown wings bordered by dark brown edges and a row of black spots, while the underside is gray with small black spots and orange markings, typically found in bogs, marshes, and wet meadows across northern North America. A hard species to find in Minnesota. The first photo is from Colorado.

Range

Northeastern Minnesota near bogs.

Similar Species

Purplish copper and bog copper are similar. Dorcas and Purplish are almost identical below. Above, purplish has more orange markings and dorcas has wider dark borders in the margin. Bog coppers are smaller than Dorcas and have very little orange. Bog coppers are restricted to bogs where cranberries grow so location is also a key field mark.

Host Plants

Shrubby cinquefoil (Potentilla fruticosa)

Flight

Late June and July