Bug FAQLycophotia Moth
Lycophotia phyllophora · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
Also called: Leafy Dart
The adult moth has a wingspan of about 35 mm. Adults are flying from June through August. It lives in southern and central Canada and the northern United States, from the Atlantic provinces to western Ontario and as far south as western North Carolina.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan is roughly 35 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Found across southern and central Canada and the northern United States, from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia west to Ontario, and south to Ohio and western North Carolina.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae eat the leaves of alder, viburnum, birch, blueberry, cherry, spirea and willow.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the wing from June to August.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its range includes southern and central Canada and the northern United States.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 20 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Massachusetts, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Maine, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Ohio.
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 plants do the caterpillars eat?
The larvae feed on leaves of alder, viburnum, birch, blueberry, cherry, spirea and willow.
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/Lycophotia_phyllophora
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.