Bug FAQLittle Arches
Drasteria petricola · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Erebidae
The little arches moth (Drasteria petricola) has a wingspan of about 34 mm and belongs to the family Erebidae. It lives in western North America from the Yukon and Northwest Territories south to New Mexico and east to Manitoba, where larvae feed on Hedysarum plants and adults drink flower nectar, including mint in Utah. Adults are on the wing from May to July.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The little arches moth belongs to the family Erebidae.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Its wingspan measures about 34 millimeters.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It lives in western North America, from the Yukon and Northwest Territories down the Rocky Mountains to New Mexico and eastward to Manitoba.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The caterpillars feed on plants of the genus Hedysarum. Adult moths sip nectar from flowers, such as mint in Utah.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the wing from May through July.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range covers western North America, including Canada and the United States from the Yukon to New Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 12 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Montana, Colorado, Washington, Wyoming, South Dakota, Idaho, Alaska, New Mexico.
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
When are adult little arches moths active?
Adults can be seen flying from May to July.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Erebidae)
Spongy MothLymantria disparDamages trees, gardens or crops
Fall Webworm MothHyphantria cuneaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Brown-tail MothEuproctis chrysorrhoeaCan irritate skin
Isabella Tiger MothPyrrharctia isabella
Virginian Tiger MothSpilosoma virginicaCan irritate skin
Salt Marsh MothEstigmene acreaDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drasteria_petricola
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-29 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-29.