Bug FAQHydraecia medialis
Hydraecia medialis · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
It lives in open ponderosa pine forests, dry sagebrush steppe, and juniper woodlands across western North America, from British Columbia and Alberta down through the Rocky Mountains to the Dakotas and northern New Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The forewings measure 16 to 24 mm in length.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are on the wing from mid-August to September.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are active from mid-August through September.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is native to western North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 8 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Wyoming, Colorado, Montana, Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Nebraska, Arizona.
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
Where can I find this moth?
It lives in open ponderosa pine forests, dry sagebrush steppe, and juniper woodlands across western North America, from British Columbia and Alberta down to the Dakotas and northern New Mexico.
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/Hydraecia_medialis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-25 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-25.