Bog Copper ~ Lycaena epixanthe
While
exploring a local bog recently, I was amazed at the number of one particular butterfly flying around in amongst the low growing bog plants.
We timed our visit to the bog when the Small Cranberries (
Oxycoccus quadripetalus) were flowering and as it turns out - the best time to see these Bog Copper butterflies. Bog Coppers are a very specialized butterfly, much like the well know Monarch and Milkweed relationship, Bog Copper butterflies rely upon Cranberry plants for both the adult and larval stages of their lifecycle.
"The flight period of the adults appears to have been selected to coincide with the occurence of these flowers. The first males appear just as the first cranberry flowers open, and the entire flight period ends about a month later as the last blossoms are fading." (
Butterflies of Algonquin Provincial Park, Gard Otis, Friends of Algonquin Park Publication)
Females lay their eggs on the Cranberry plants after mating. The eggs overwinter and the larvae emerge in the spring to feed on the Cranberry plants.
The occurence of the Bog Copper is very localized where Cranberry bogs exist. The populations in each bog are often small and are therefore susceptible to extinction. The distance between these bogs determines whether a new population can recolonize after a local population becomes extinct. (
Butterflies of Algonquin Provincial Park, Gard Otis, Friends of Algonquin Park Publication)
In our area, there are very few Cranberry bogs that would support recolonization. I think it's amazing that this tiny ~ 4 acre bog is supporting a healthy population of these butterflies.
