Bug FAQCaloptilia packardella
Caloptilia packardella · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Gracillariidae
Source: Wikipedia
The adult moth is tiny, with a wingspan of about 11 mm. It lives in parts of eastern Canada and the United States, including places like Quebec, Kentucky and New Jersey. Its caterpillars feed inside the leaves of maples such as Norway maple, sugar maple and silver maple, creating leaf mines that can harm the trees.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults have a wingspan of roughly 11 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae mine the leaves of maple trees, feeding on species like Norway maple, sugar maple and silver maple.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
In Illinois the moth produces at least two generations each year.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its known range covers parts of eastern Canada and the United States.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 21 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Ohio, New York, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Indiana.
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
Which trees are affected by the larvae?
The caterpillars mine the leaves of maple species such as Norway maple, sugar maple and silver maple.
Source: Wikipedia
How many generations does it have per year?
There are at least two generations annually in Illinois.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Gracillariidae)
Horse-chestnut LeafminerCameraria ohridellaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Aspen Serpentine Leafminer MothPhyllocnistis populiellaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Phyllocnistis vitegenella complexPhyllocnistis vitegenellaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Locust Digitate Leafminer MothParectopa robiniellaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Poison Ivy Leaf-miner MothCameraria guttifinitella
Phyllocnistis insignisDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caloptilia_packardella
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-26 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-26.