Bug FAQBanded Quaker
Protorthodes incincta · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
The Banded Quaker moth shows a wide range of wing colours, from pale whitish grey to dark blackish grey, and adults can look quite different from one another. It lives across the western Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, the Great Basin, the Southwest and reaches into the Great Lakes region of North America. Adults are active from early June through early October.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Adults vary a lot in appearance, with wing colours ranging from pale whitish grey to blackish grey.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The forewings measure between 11 and 14 millimetres long.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is found in dry open forests and prairie-like habitats of the western Great Plains and Rocky Mountain region.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The caterpillars feed on a variety of herbaceous plants, including members of the bean family (Fabaceae).
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are on the wing from early June to early October.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
The flight period spans early June through early October.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species is native to North America, especially the western Great Plains and Rocky Mountains.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It can be told apart from similar moths by an irregular pale line near the wing edge and a concentration of dark, arrow-shaped marks near the reniform spot.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 14 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Kansas, Iowa, Michigan, Wyoming, Arizona, Montana, Idaho, New Mexico.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
Questions people ask
When are Banded Quaker moths active?
Adults fly from early June until early October.
Source: Wikipedia
How can I tell this moth apart from similar species?
Look for an irregular pale subterminal line and a cluster of dark, arrow-shaped marks near the reniform spot.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Noctuidae)
Ipsilon Dart MothAgrotis ipsilonDamages trees, gardens or crops
Fall Armyworm MothSpodoptera frugiperdaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Army Cutworm MothEuxoa auxiliarisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Large Yellow UnderwingNoctua pronubaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Silver ΥAutographa gamma
American DaggerAcronicta americanaCan irritate skinSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protorthodes_incincta
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-26 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-26.