Bug FAQGirdler Moth
Dargida procinctus · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
Also called: Olive Green Cutworm
The girdler moth has a wingspan of about 4 cm. Adults are on the wing from August to September in northern areas and earlier farther south. It lives across much of western North America, from the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and British Columbia down to U.S. states such as Wisconsin, California and Arizona.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Dargina procinctus, also called the olive green cutworm or girdler moth, belongs to the Noctuidae family.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan measures roughly 40 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The caterpillars feed on various grasses, especially reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea).
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults fly in late summer, from August to September in northern regions and earlier in the south.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Flight time is August-September in the north, but occurs earlier farther south.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its range includes parts of the United States and Canada, from Wisconsin and Manitoba westward to British Columbia and south to California and Arizona.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 13 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Alaska, Nevada, Arizona.
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
When are girdler moths active?
Adults are on the wing from August to September in northern areas and earlier in southern parts of their range.
Source: Wikipedia
What do the larvae eat?
The caterpillars feed on a variety of grasses, mainly reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea).
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/Dargida_procinctus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.