Bug FAQGreater Oak Dagger and Close Allies
Acronicta lobeliae · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
Also called: Greater Oak Dagger, Lobelia Dagger Moth, Greater Oak Dagger Moth
Source: Wikipedia
It lives in North America. Its caterpillars eat oak (Quercus) leaves, which can harm oak trees.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Achille Guenée described the species in 1852.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
The species is found in North America.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed on oak (Quercus) species.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is native to North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 40 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, North Carolina, Michigan, Georgia, Ohio, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Same family (Noctuidae)
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American DaggerAcronicta americanaCan irritate skinSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acronicta_lobeliae
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.