Ironwood Leafcone Moth

Caloptilia ostryaeella · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Gracillariidae

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Ironwood Leafcone Moth
Photo: Senna Bryce Robeson, CC BY

The ironwood leafcone moth is found in Québec, Canada, and in several U.S. states including Kentucky, Maine, Ohio and Vermont. Its larvae eat the leaves of hornbeam and hop-hornbeam trees, such as Ostrya virginiana and Ostrya virginica.

Source: Wikipedia

What it eats

The caterpillars feed on species of Carpinus and Ostrya, including Ostrya virginiana and Ostrya virginica.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 20 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Massachusetts, Ohio, Minnesota, New York, Mississippi, North Carolina, Illinois, Maryland.

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

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Source: GBIF

More photos

Ironwood Leafcone Moth photo 2
Photo: Senna Bryce Robeson, CC BY
Ironwood Leafcone Moth photo 3
Photo: Rose Zappa, CC BY
Ironwood Leafcone Moth photo 4
Photo: Norah Tempus, CC BY
Ironwood Leafcone Moth photo 5
Photo: iNaturalist user, CC0

Same family (Gracillariidae)

Horse-chestnut LeafminerHorse-chestnut LeafminerCameraria ohridellaDamages trees, gardens or cropsAspen Serpentine Leafminer MothAspen Serpentine Leafminer MothPhyllocnistis populiellaDamages trees, gardens or cropsPhyllocnistis vitegenella complexPhyllocnistis vitegenella complexPhyllocnistis vitegenellaDamages trees, gardens or cropsLocust Digitate Leafminer MothLocust Digitate Leafminer MothParectopa robiniellaDamages trees, gardens or cropsPoison Ivy Leaf-miner MothPoison Ivy Leaf-miner MothCameraria guttifinitellaPhyllocnistis insignisPhyllocnistis insignisDamages trees, gardens or crops

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caloptilia_ostryaeella

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-27 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-27.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

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