Bug FAQGray Furcula Moth and Allies
Furcula cinerea · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Notodontidae
Also called: Gray Furcula, Gray Furcula Moth, Grey Furcula Moth
The gray furcula moth has a wingspan of about 33 to 45 mm. It produces one generation per year in northern areas and two in the south, and overwinters as a pupa.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Furcula cinerea, known as the gray furcula moth, belongs to the Notodontidae family.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Its wingspan ranges between 33 and 45 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Caterpillars feed on the leaves of birch, poplar and willow trees.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
In southern regions there are two generations each year, while northern populations have only one. The moth spends the winter in the pupal stage.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the wing from April through September in the south and from May through August in the north.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 48 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, California, Oklahoma, Michigan, New York, Vermont, Ohio, Alabama.
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
When can I see adult gray furcula moths?
In the south they are active from April to September, and in the north from May to August.
Source: Wikipedia
How many generations does this moth have each year?
Southern populations produce two generations per year, while northern ones have only one.
Source: Wikipedia
What do the caterpillars eat?
They feed on the leaves of birch, poplar and willow species.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Notodontidae)
White-dotted ProminentNadata gibbosaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Buff-tipPhalera bucephalaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Common Gluphisia MothGluphisia septentrionis
Pine Processionary-mothThaumetopoea pityocampaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Walnut Caterpillar MothDatana integerrimaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Unicorn ProminentCoelodasys unicornisDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furcula_cinerea
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.