Bug FAQBeautiful Wood-nymph
Eudryas grata · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
Also called: Beautiful Wood-nymph Moth
Source: Wikipedia
These moths look like bird droppings as a form of camouflage. They are found across the eastern United States. Their larvae eat plants such as grapes, hops, and Virginia creeper.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Adults mimic bird droppings.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They occur throughout the eastern United States.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Caterpillars feed on Ampelopsis, buttonbush, grapes, hops, and Virginia creeper.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Their range covers the entire eastern United States.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 40 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Ohio, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Tennessee, Maryland, Vermont, New York.
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
More photos
Questions people ask
Are they a problem for gardens?
The larvae can feed on several garden and orchard plants, so they may cause damage to those crops.
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/Eudryas_grata
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.