Bug FAQElm Spanworm Moth
Ennomos subsignaria · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Geometridae
Also called: Elm Spanworm, Snow-white Linden
Source: Wikipedia
The elm spanworm moth has a wingspan of about 35 to 40 mm. Adults fly from late May through August and produce one generation each year.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
It is a member of the Geometridae family.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Its wingspan measures roughly 35 to 40 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It occurs across North America from Texas up to Alberta and east to the Atlantic coast, and is occasionally found in Great Britain via imported asparagus.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The caterpillars feed on the leaves of elm, apple, birch, maple and oak trees.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are on the wing from late May to August. There is one generation each year.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
They are active from late May through August.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is native to North America, ranging from Texas in the south to Alberta in the northwest and eastward to the Atlantic coast.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It belongs to the Geometridae family, like many other moths.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 41 of 51 states and DC. Most records: New York, Michigan, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Connecticut, Wisconsin, Minnesota.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Same family (Geometridae)
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Yellow Shell MothCamptogramma bilineata
Large Maple Spanworm MothProchoerodes lineolaDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ennomos_subsignaria
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.