Bug FAQGray Half-Spot
Nedra ramosula · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
Also called: Gray Half-spot Moth
It lives across much of eastern North America, from Manitoba and Newfoundland down to Florida and west to Texas, and its caterpillars feed on Hypericum plants.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Nedra ramosula, called the gray half-spot, belongs to the moth family Noctuidae.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Its wingspan ranges between 28 and 48 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The larvae feed on plants of the Hypericum genus.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are on the wing from May through September in Ontario and from April through October in Ohio.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Flight season extends from spring into early fall, varying slightly by region.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 38 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Michigan, Alabama, Massachusetts, Vermont, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, North Carolina.
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 do the caterpillars of the gray half-spot eat?
The caterpillars feed on Hypericum species.
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/Nedra_ramosula
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.