Bug FAQNorthern Scurfy Quaker
Homorthodes furfurata · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
Also called: Northern Scurfy Quaker Moth
The northern scurfy Quaker moth has a wingspan of about 25 mm. Adults fly in the summer months. It is found across much of North America, from southeastern Canada and the northeastern US down to Mississippi, and west to California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Homorthodes furfurata, known as the northern scurfy Quaker moth, belongs to the owlet moth family (Noctuidae).
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The moth’s wingspan measures roughly 25 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Caterpillars feed on a variety of hardwoods, including maples, Prunus species, and Oemleria cerasiformis.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the wing during the summer.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its range spans much of North America, from southeastern Canada and the northeastern United States down to Mississippi, and westward to California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 32 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Montana, California, Michigan, Oregon, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Vermont.
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 can I see adult northern scurfy Quaker moths?
Adults are active and flying in the summer.
Source: Wikipedia
What trees do the larvae eat?
The larvae feed on hardwoods such as maples, various Prunus species, and Oemleria cerasiformis.
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/Homorthodes_furfurata
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.