Bug FAQOblique-banded Leafroller Moth
Choristoneura rosaceana · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Tortricidae
Also called: Oblique-banded Leafroller, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
Source: Wikipedia
Adults are small, light brown moths that fly in early summer and again in late summer. The caterpillars are green with a black head and feed on many ornamental and forest species.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The caterpillar is green and has a black head. The adult moth is small and light brown.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan is about 25 mm. Forewing length ranges from 7.5 to 11 mm in males and 11.5 to 14 mm in females.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Caterpillars feed on many plants, including maples, oaks, birches, roses, strawberries, pines and many others.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
The flight periods are June-July and August-September across most of its range.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its original range is North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It belongs to the Tortricidae family and is known as the oblique-banded leafroller or rosaceous leafroller.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 48 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Alabama, Illinois, Michigan, Texas, Maryland, New York, Wisconsin, Oklahoma.
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
Does this moth damage gardens or crops?
Yes, its larvae feed on a wide variety of garden and orchard plants, causing leaf rolling and defoliation.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Tortricidae)
Garden TortrixClepsis peritanaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Common MarbleSyricoris lacunanaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Red-banded Leafroller MothArgyrotaenia velutinanaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Light Brown Apple MothEpiphyas postvittanaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Filbertworm MothCydia latiferreanaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Codling MothCydia pomonellaDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choristoneura_rosaceana
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.