Bug FAQMottled Grass-veneer
Neodactria luteolellus · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Crambidae
Also called: Mottled Grass-veneer Moth
The mottled grass-veneer is a small moth with a wingspan of about 13 to 24 mm. It lives in grassland habitats such as prairies, aspen parklands and boreal forests across much of North America, from Labrador and Quebec down to North Carolina and west to Arizona, California and Alberta. Adults fly from late June to mid-July, producing one generation each year.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Neodactria luteolellus, called the mottled grass-veneer, belongs to the moth family Crambidae.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Its wingspan ranges from 13 to 24 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It inhabits grassland areas found in prairies, aspen parklands and boreal forests.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The larvae feed on grasses.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are on the wing from late June to mid-July, and there is one generation per year.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
The flight period for adults is late June through mid-July.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species is recorded across North America, from eastern Canada through the United States to the western states and up into Alberta.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 41 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Michigan, New Jersey, Oregon, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, Massachusetts.
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 adult mottled grass-veneer moths active?
Adults fly from late June to mid-July, producing a single generation each year.
Source: Wikipedia
Where can I find this moth?
It lives in grassland habitats across much of North America, from eastern Canada and the United States to the western states and up into Alberta.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Crambidae)
Box Tree MothCydalima perspectalisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Celery Leaftier MothUdea rubigalis
Elegant Grass-veneerMicrocrambus elegans
Hawaiian Beet Webworm MothSpoladea recurvalisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Garden Grass-veneerChrysoteuchia culmellaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Bluegrass Webworm MothParapediasia teterrellusDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neodactria_luteolellus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-25 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-25.