Bug FAQGreen Leuconycta Moth
Leuconycta diphteroides · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
Also called: Green Leuconycta
The green Leuconycta moth has a wingspan of about 27 to 32 mm. It lives across much of North America, from Nova Scotia down to Florida and west to Texas and north to Saskatchewan. Its caterpillars eat goldenrod (Solidago) and aster species, and adults fly from May through September.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan ranges from 27 to 32 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Found throughout North America from the Atlantic coast to the central United States and up into Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed on plants in the Solidago (goldenrod) and Aster genera.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are active from May until September.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Native to the same North American region described for its habitat.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 33 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Vermont, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Massachusetts, Connecticut, 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. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Are they a problem for gardens or crops?
Their larvae feed on goldenrod and asters, which are wildflowers rather than cultivated crops.
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/Leuconycta_diphteroides
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.