Bug FAQJoe-Pye Weed Plume Moth
Oidaematophorus eupatorii · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Pterophoridae
Also called: Eupatorium Plume Moth
The Joe-Pye weed plume moth has a wingspan of about 21 to 24 mm. Its head is a dull reddish-brown, the thorax pale brown, and the forewings are a pale ocher-yellow with dark brown speckles that give a wood-brown tone. The larvae feed on plants in the Eupatorium and Epilobium genera.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Forewings are pale ocher yellow, whitest near the leading edge, and are dusted with dark-brown scales that make them look wood-brown.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Its wingspan measures roughly 21 to 24 millimetres (0.83 to 0.94 in).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It occurs across North America, including states such as Florida, Mississippi, Iowa, New York, California and on Vancouver Island. The species is also recorded in Mexico, Guatemala and Panama.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae are greenish with wine-colored and white stripes and feed on Eupatorium species (including E. purpurascens) and on Epilobium species.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is native to North America, found in many U.S. states and parts of Canada. Its range extends further south into Mexico, Guatemala and Panama.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 23 of 51 states and DC. Most records: New York, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Vermont, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania.
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
What do the larvae eat?
The caterpillars feed on plants in the Eupatorium and Epilobium genera.
Source: Wikipedia
Where can I find this moth?
It lives in many parts of North America, including several U.S. states and Vancouver Island, and also in Mexico, Guatemala and Panama.
Source: Wikipedia
What does this moth look like?
It has a dull reddish-brown head, a pale brown thorax, and pale ocher-yellow forewings speckled with dark brown scales that give a wood-brown appearance.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Pterophoridae)
Morning-glory Plume MothEmmelina monodactyla
White Plume MothPterophorus pentadactylaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Brown Silver-linePetrophora chlorosata
Grape and Sheppard's Plume MothsGeina periscelidactylusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Yarrow Plume MothGillmeria pallidactylaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Belfrage's Plume MothPselnophorus belfrageiSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oidaematophorus_eupatorii
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-26 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-26.