Lycaena cupreus
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Lycaena cuprea, the lustrous copper, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in the western mountains of North America. The wingspan is 23–30 mm. Adults are on wing from mid-June to July or August. They feed on the nectar of Cirsium, Medicago sativa and Melilotus species.
The larvae feed on Oxyria digyna and Rumex species. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Yellowstone National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Lustrous Copper sighting in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks on a given day, based on 20 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 39th most-seen of the 161 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and July
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Lustrous Copper in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks on a given day, against under 5% in September to April, the lowest months. Those are among Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks's driest months, with about 20 mm of rain a month against 190 mm in January.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Lustrous Copper sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 6
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Lustrous Copper sightings, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Yosemite National Park (United States, about 20%).
Same family: Lycaenidae
The closest relatives of the Lustrous Copper that you can see in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (family Lycaenidae, Gossamer-winged Butterflies) are Spring Azure (about 30%), Boisduval's Blue (about 10%) and Sierra Blue (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Lustrous Copper is recorded against all the insects logged in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (20 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
