Bug FAQGrapevine Epimenis Moth
Psychomorpha epimenis · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
Also called: Grapevine Epimenis
Source: Wikipedia
Adults have a wingspan of about 2.2 to 2.7 cm and are mostly black with a large white patch on the forewing and a red patch on the hindwing.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The moth’s body and wings are black, featuring a prominent white area on the front wing and a red area on the back wing.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Its wingspan measures between 2.2 and 2.7 cm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
You can find it in forests, at the edges of woods, and along hedgerows.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Caterpillars feed on several grape species, including summer grape, fox grape, riverbank grape, frost grape, and wild grape.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The larva is black with white crosswise stripes, while its head, part of the thorax, the rear abdomen, and the prolegs are reddish-orange. It pupates in wood or dense peat and overwinters there, producing one generation each year.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are active in spring, typically from March until early May.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is native to eastern North America, reaching westward to the Oklahoma Panhandle.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 37 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Ohio, Virginia, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Missouri, Kentucky.
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
What plants does the grapevine epimenis moth feed on?
Its caterpillars eat several grapevines such as summer grape, fox grape, riverbank grape, frost grape, and wild grape.
Source: Wikipedia
When are these moths active?
They are a spring species, flying from March through early May.
Source: Wikipedia
Where can I find this moth?
Look for them in woodlands, woodland edges, and hedgerows across eastern North America, extending west to the Oklahoma Panhandle.
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/Psychomorpha
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.