A Specialized Bog Butterfly

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.

Discoveries Out & About: Bog Beauties

Grass Pink
Calopogon tuberosus

I was recently invited to tour a local bog by City staff. This bog is very small, located in a local park and is about 3 acres in size. The center portion which is about 50 feet in diameter was the most diverse. Cattails ring the outer portion of the bog.

This bog is comprised of Sphagnum moss and many acidic loving bog plants. Two orchid species were flowering, a small cluster (4-5 plants) of Grass Pink (Calopogon tuberosus) as well as Rose Pogonia (Pogonia ophioglossoides) which was dotted throughout the center bog area.

Bees and numerous Bog Copper (Lycaena epixanthe) butterflies were actively pollinating the Small Cranberries (Oxycoccus quadripetalus).

Small Cranberries were abundant amongst the Sphagnum moss. These Cranberries are woody, with layering stems that reroot across the bog. The fruit is surprisingly large for the size of the flower - almost 1 cm wide maturing in late September.










You had to look closely at the Sphagnum moss to see the Round Leaved Sundews (Drosera rotundifolia). These Sundews utilize the sticky substance on the ends of the leaf hairs catch insects, break them down with enzymes and consume the resulting nutrients.

A few Marsh Cinquefoil (Comarum palustre) plants were also present and in full bloom. The flowers were a dark maroon fading to a light maroon on the tips of the petals.

This was a great glimpse of some bog species here in the metro area which are more typically found in the northern part of Minnesota.