Bug FAQBrown Pug
Eupithecia unicolor · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Geometridae
Eupithecia unicolor is a geometrid moth with a wingspan of about 21 mm. It lives on the west coast of North America, from British Columbia to California, and its caterpillars feed on juniper, western red cedar and Nootka cypress. Adults are on the wing from May to November, while larvae are present in spring and pupate in June, overwintering as mid-instar larvae.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Eupithecia unicolor belongs to the Geometridae family of moths.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Its wingspan measures about 21 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It lives along the west coast from British Columbia down through California.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The caterpillars feed on the foliage of western juniper, western red cedar and Nootka cypress.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Full-grown caterpillars are about 20 mm long and appear in April and May; they pupate in June and spend the winter as mid-instar larvae.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adult moths can be seen flying from May through November.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its range extends from British Columbia south to California.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 7 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Alaska, Arizona, Kansas.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do the larvae of Brown Pug moths eat?
The larvae feed on juniper, western red cedar and Nootka cypress foliage.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Geometridae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eupithecia_unicolor
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-27 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-27.