Hermes Copper
Lycaena hermes (W.H. Edwards, 1870)
Family: Lycaenidae
Subfamily: Lycaeninae
Identification: Each hindwing has 1 tail. Upperside brown with yellow-orange patch surrounding black spots. Underside bright yellow; forewing with 4-6 black spots, hindwing with 3-6 black spots.
Wing Span: 1 - 1 1/4 inches (2.5 - 3.2 cm).
Life History: Males perch to watch for females. Eggs are laid singly on twigs of host plant; they hibernate until the following spring. Caterpillars eat young leaves.
Flight: One flight from May-July.
Caterpillar Hosts: Redberry (Rhamnus crocea) in the buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae).
Adult Food: Nectar from flowers of wild buckwheat (Eriogonum) in the buckwheat family (Polygonaceae).
Habitat: Mixed woodlands, chaparral, and coastal sage scrub.
Range: Restricted range from San Diego County and adjacent Baja California Norte.
Conservation: Species of concern for U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Many colonies lost to development or threatened by fire.
NCGR: G3 - Very rare or local throughout its range or found locally in a restricted range (21 to 100 occurrences). (Threatened throughout its range).
Management Needs: Protect existing colonies from habitat loss and fragmentation.
Comments: NULL
Get your BAMONA Gear!
Please donate!
We depend on donations to keep Butterflies and Moths of North America freely available. We want to express our gratitude to all who showed their support by making a contribution this year. You can donate to support this project at any time.
Advertise with us!
Do you have a product or service that you think would interest BAMONA users? If you would like to advertise on this website, contact us by email, or use the contact form and select the "Advertising" category.
Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 58 verified sightings
Observation date: Jun 09, 2024
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 10, 2024
Observation date: Jun 09, 2024
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 10, 2024
Observation date: Jun 19, 2023
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 18, 2023
Observation date: Jun 23, 2023
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 18, 2023
Observation date: Jun 17, 2023
Submitted by: guy_incognito
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 20, 2023
Observation date: Jun 08, 2021
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Dec 02, 2022
Observation date: Jun 03, 2022
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 23, 2022
Observation date: Jun 08, 2021
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Dec 25, 2021
Observation date: Jun 07, 2021
Submitted by: Mark Salvato
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 19, 2021
Observation date: May 31, 2021
Submitted by: bjones7777
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 08, 2021
Observation date: Jun 15, 2020
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Dec 24, 2020
Observation date: Jun 22, 2019
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Nov 27, 2019
Observation date: Jun 10, 2018
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jan 11, 2019
Observation date: Jun 11, 2016
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jan 11, 2019
Observation date: Jun 18, 2018
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 28, 2018
Observation date: Jun 01, 2018
Submitted by: ncrosbyrd
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 28, 2018
Observation date: May 30, 2017
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 21, 2017
Observation date: Jun 03, 2017
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 07, 2017
Observation date: Jun 03, 2017
Submitted by: Robert Gorman
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 07, 2017
Observation date: May 18, 2017
Submitted by: diwalks2@gmail.com
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 27, 2017
Observation date: May 13, 2017
Submitted by: diwalks2@gmail.com
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 18, 2017
Observation date: May 30, 2015
Submitted by: diwalks2@gmail.com
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 18, 2015
Observation date: May 30, 2015
Submitted by: diwalks2@gmail.com
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 18, 2015
Observation date: May 30, 2015
Submitted by: diwalks2@gmail.com
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jun 18, 2015
- 1 of 3
- next ›