Bug FAQCottonwood Twig Borer Moth
Gypsonoma haimbachiana · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Tortricidae
The cottonwood twig borer moth has a wingspan of about 13 to 17 mm and its adults are ash-grey in colour. It lives in eastern North America, from Canada down to the Gulf Coast and west to Missouri. Its larvae feed on cottonwood and other poplar species, and in the southern part of its range it can produce four or more generations each year.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Adults are ash grey in colour.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The adult’s wingspan ranges from 13 to 17 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The larvae feed on cottonwood (Populus sect. Aigeiros) and other poplar species.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
In the southern part of its range the species can have four or more generations per year.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Four or more generations occur each year in the southern part of its range.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 23 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Oklahoma, Mississippi, Michigan, Texas, Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky.
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
Where is this moth found?
It occurs in eastern North America, from Canada down to the Gulf Coast and west to Missouri.
Source: Wikipedia
How many generations does it have each year?
In the southern part of its range it can produce four or more generations per year.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Tortricidae)
Oblique-banded Leafroller MothChoristoneura rosaceanaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Garden TortrixClepsis peritanaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Common MarbleSyricoris lacunanaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Red-banded Leafroller MothArgyrotaenia velutinanaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Light Brown Apple MothEpiphyas postvittanaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Aster and Reddish Eucosma Moths and AlliesEucosma parmatanaSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gypsonoma_haimbachiana
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-27 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-27.