Bug FAQErigeron Flower Moth
Schinia obscurata · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
Its caterpillars feed on plants in the Erigeron genus.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The larvae eat Erigeron species.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is found in eastern Canada and a broad swath of the United States from the Midwest to the South and the Great Plains.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 26 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Oklahoma, Michigan, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, New York, Vermont, Georgia.
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
More photos
Questions people ask
What do the larvae of the Erigeron flower moth eat?
The caterpillars feed on Erigeron plants.
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/Schinia_obscurata
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-28 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-28.