Mariposa Copper

Tharsalea mariposa

The Mariposa Copper is a beautiful butterfly with bright orange and black wings. It flutters around flowers and loves sunny spots, making it a delightful sight in nature.

Hábitat: Meadows

Aspecto

The Mariposa Copper is a small butterfly with brilliant, iridescent coppery-orange upperwings, often marked with dark spots. Its hindwings can be dusky with a subtle dark band, while the undersides are typically duller gray or tan for camouflage, helping it blend into its environment.

ReinoAnimaliaFiloArthropodaClaseInsectaOrdenLepidopteraFamiliaLycaenidaeGéneroTharsalea

Mariposa Copper

Categoría

Insectos

Rareza

Common

Peligro

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Snaps

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Datos interesantes

Baby Mariposa Coppers look like tiny green slugs, not fuzzy caterpillars, as they munch on leaves.

Its shiny wings often flash brilliant copper, making it look like a flying penny in the sun!

These butterflies sometimes gather in damp spots to drink important minerals from the soil, a behavior called 'puddling.'

Unlike many butterflies, male Mariposa Coppers are very territorial and will chase other insects out of their space!

Habilidades especiales

Mariposa Copper can drink sweet flower nectar using a long, straw-like mouthpart (proboscis), reaching deep into blossoms for energy.

Mariposa Copper has duller underside wings that blend perfectly with dried leaves and bark when resting, helping them hide.

Mariposa Copper has dark body parts that absorb sunlight, helping them warm up quickly for flight on cool mountain mornings.

Medidas y detalles

Envergadura: 25-35 mm
Tamaño: 10-15 mm
Esperanza de vida: 15-30 días
Velocidad de vuelo: 10 km/h
Cantidad de patas: 6

Dieta y alimentación

Adults sip flower nectar for energy; caterpillars munch on specific plant leaves to grow.

Diferencias por edad: Larvae eat the leaves of cinquefoil plants; adults drink nectar from various flowering plants.

Alimentos principales

Flower Nectar
Cinquefoil Leaves (Potentilla spp.)

Método de búsqueda

Foraging

Conexiones ecológicas

depends on

Slender Cinquefoil

Potentilla gracilis

Its larvae feed exclusively on the leaves of this host plant.

pollinates

Canada Goldenrod

Solidago canadensis

Adult butterflies visit its flowers, drinking nectar and transferring pollen.

eaten by

Steller's Jay

Cyanocitta stelleri

Birds like this one are generalist predators of adult butterflies.

Rasgos

Social

Los animales sociales viven en grupos organizados, cooperando para obtener beneficios de supervivencia como la búsqueda de alimento, la defensa y la cría de descendencia.