Bug FAQFrosted and Large Gray Daggers
Acronicta hastulifera · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
Also called: American Alder Dagger, Frosted Dagger, Frosted Dagger Moth, frosted dagger caterpillar
Acronicta hastulifera, the frosted dagger moth, belongs to the Noctuidae family. It occurs in the northeastern United States down to Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. Its caterpillars eat alder, birch, poplar, willow and other hardwoods, potentially harming those trees.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Acronicta hastulifera is a moth in the Noctuidae family.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its range includes the northeastern United States down to Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 22 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Alabama, North Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Tennessee, South Carolina.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Where is the frosted dagger moth found?
It lives in the northeastern United States, extending south to Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.
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/Acronicta_hastulifera
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-27 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-27.