Bug FAQLangton's Forester
Alypia langtonii · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
Also called: Six-spotted Forester, fireweed caterpillar
Langton's forester is a moth with a wingspan of about 30 mm and black wings marked with white spots. It lives across North America from Newfoundland to Alaska and south to Colorado and California, and adults fly from May to July.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Males have eight spots total, while females have six. Their antennae have white rings.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan is about 30 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The larvae feed on fireweed and related Chamaenerion species.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are on the wing from May to July, producing one generation per year depending on location.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are active from May through July, varying with region.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range covers North America from Newfoundland to Alaska, extending south to Maine, Wisconsin, Colorado and California.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 19 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Oregon, Alaska, Montana, Washington, California, Michigan, Idaho, Colorado.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
When are Langton's foresters active?
Adults fly from May to July, with timing depending on where they live.
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/Alypia_langtoni
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.