Bug FAQDock Rustic Moth
Resapamea passer · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
Also called: Dock Rustic
The dock rustic moth has forewings 15 to 19 mm long and lives in wetland areas. It occurs from central Alberta to northern Arizona and across the mid-Continent to the Atlantic Coast of North America. Its caterpillars bore into the stems and roots of dock (Rumex) and possibly knotweed (Polygonum).
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Resapamea passer, known as the dock rustic moth, belongs to the Noctuidae family.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Forewing length ranges from 15 to 19 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It inhabits wetland environments.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed on dock (Rumex) and possibly on knotweed (Polygonum), boring into stems and roots.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 38 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Michigan, Montana, Ohio, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Idaho.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
Questions people ask
What do dock rustic moth larvae eat?
The larvae feed on Rumex species and may also feed on Polygonum, boring into the plants' stems and roots.
Source: Wikipedia
Where does the dock rustic moth live?
It lives in wetland habitats across a broad range in North America, from central Alberta to northern Arizona and eastward to the Atlantic Coast.
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/Resapamea_passer
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-25 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-25.