Bug FAQDotted Shade
Eana osseana · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Tortricidae
The dotted shade moth has a wingspan of about 16 to 23 mm and is pale brown with faint brown markings on its elongated forewings. It lives in grassland, downland and moorland across most of Europe, the East Palearctic and the Nearctic, and its larvae feed on many herbaceous plants, grasses and mosses from within silken tubes.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The forewings are long and straight-costa, with a brownish-ochreous or sometimes ferruginous tint and an irregular spot before and after the middle, plus a triangular fuscous patch near the tip; hindwings are grey.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults have a wingspan ranging from 16 to 23 mm (0.63 to 0.91 in).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It prefers open habitats such as grassland, downland and moorland.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae live in silken tubes and feed on a wide range of herbaceous plants, grasses and mosses.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are on the wing from June to August and are attracted to light.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
The flight period for adults spans the summer months of June through August.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species is widespread throughout most of Europe, the East Palearctic region and also occurs in North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 4 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Alaska, Montana, Washington, California.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
When can I see adult dotted shade moths?
Adults fly from June to August and are drawn to lights at night.
Source: Wikipedia
What do the larvae eat?
The caterpillars feed on many herbaceous plants, grasses and mosses while living inside a silken tube.
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/Eana_osseana
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-29 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-29.