Bug FAQHesitant Dagger
Acronicta modica · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
Also called: Medium Dagger Moth
The adult has a wingspan of about 35 mm. It lives in eastern North America, from Nova Scotia down to Florida and west to Oklahoma and Texas. Caterpillars feed on oak leaves.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan is roughly 35 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The larvae eat oak species.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range covers the same eastern North American area, from Nova Scotia to Florida and west to Oklahoma and Texas.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 32 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, Delaware, North Carolina, New Jersey.
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
Where is this moth found?
It occurs in eastern North America, from Nova Scotia down to Florida and west to Oklahoma and Texas.
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/Acronicta_modica
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.