Bug FAQGray Looper Moth
Rachiplusia ou · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
Source: Wikipedia
The gray looper moth has a wingspan of about 3 to 4 cm. It lives in the southern and eastern United States, parts of Canada, and from Mexico down through Central and South America. Caterpillars eat a variety of herbaceous plants, including wheat, mint, clover, tobacco and nasturtium.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Rachiplusia ou belongs to the Noctuidae family of moths.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults have a wingspan ranging from 31 to 41 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed on many herbaceous plants such as pigweed, tobacco, clover, mint, wheat and nasturtium.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are active from May through October, and can be seen year-round in the southern part of their range.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
In the south, adults may be on the wing throughout the year; elsewhere they appear from late spring to early fall.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range includes the southern and eastern United States and parts of Canada. It also occurs from Mexico through Central America to northern South America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 36 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Oklahoma, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi.
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
What plants do gray looper moth caterpillars eat?
They feed on herbaceous plants like wheat, mint, clover, tobacco and nasturtium.
Source: Wikipedia
When are adult gray looper moths active?
Adults fly from May to October, and can be present all year in the southern states.
Source: Wikipedia
Where can I find gray looper moths?
They occur in the southern and eastern United States, parts of Canada, and from Mexico down through Central and northern South America.
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/Rachiplusia_ou
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.