Bug FAQMountain Beauty Moth
Syngrapha ignea · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
Also called: Mountain Beauty
The mountain beauty moth (Syngrapha ignea) is a noctuid with a wingspan of about 29 to 32 mm. Its caterpillars feed on Vaccinium and Salix species, and adults are on the wing from June to August, producing one generation per year.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The mountain beauty moth belongs to the Noctuidae family and its scientific name is Syngrapha ignea.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Its wingspan measures about 29 to 32 millimetres.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It lives from northern Alaska down to southern California and New Mexico, with an isolated group in Labrador. It is also found sparsely throughout boreal forests and subarctic regions.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The caterpillars feed on plants in the Vaccinium and Salix genera.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
There is one generation each year.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults fly between June and August, depending on location.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range includes northern Alaska through the western United States to New Mexico, plus a separate population in Labrador. It also occurs sparsely across boreal and subarctic forests.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 8 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Montana, New Mexico, Alaska, California, Idaho.
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 mountain beauty moths active?
Adults are on the wing from June through August, varying with location.
Source: Wikipedia
How many generations does this moth have each year?
It produces one generation per year.
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/Syngrapha_ignea
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.