TAXONOMISTS

American copper Just goes up in flames? Wanna Have Coppers: Fun!

Blue by Harry Zirlin

Coppers are one of the three primary groups that make up the family Lycaenidae, or Purplish Gossamerwing Butterflies, in North America, the other two being hairstreaks and blues. Copper is one of several of the group named and Otherwise Some classifications — including the one for a mythological character, or, in this case, used by NABA in the Checklist & English characters. The Gorgons were the three sisters Names of North American Butterflies (Second Medusa, Stheno, and Euryale who could turn Hermes Copper is rare and getting rarer, found Edition) — also include harvesters as a men to stone with their gaze (an analysis of only in a few spots in southern California and subfamily within the group, but there is only the Freudian undercurrents in this myth is adjacent Mexico (see American Butterflies Bronze Copper is the largest of the coppers in one species of harvester in North America unsuitable for a family-oriented publication 21:3/4). I was lucky enough to see it in San the northeast and also appears to be declining. in any event. NABA’s Checklist recognizes such as this). By the way, NABA treats all Diego County’s Wildwood Glen, although Keeping with the mythic theme, Gray fifteen full species of coppers and, for many coppers as belonging to the genus Lycaena so, whether or not it persists there, I do not Copper (L. dione) is named for a common years now, I have wished to encounter Gorgon hereafter, I will simply designate the generic know. Bronze Copper (L. hyllus) is doubly appellation for goddesses. In fact “Dione” can Copper (Lycaena gorgon) in order to have name as “L.” metallic, bronze being an alloy of copper and be translated as “goddess” and has the same seen all fifteen species. Gorgon Copper can Hermes Copper (L. hermes) is another tin. Hyllus, in Greek mythology, was the son derivation as “Diana” as in Diana Fritillary. At be fairly common in parts of California in of the mythic clan, named for the Greek of Heracles and the husband of Iole (although least four different female characters had this early summer, but I have never hit its flight messenger god and wing-footed Hermes, this would take some inter-familial mixing name in Greek mythology. Purplish Copper period right on my trips out there. Gorgon the equivalent of the Roman god Mercury. today as Nathalis iole is a Dainty Sulphur). (L. helloides), too, is named for a character in 42 American Butterflies,Summer 2014 43