Bug FAQOval Abrostola
Abrostola ovalis · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
The oval abrostola is a moth in the Noctuidae family with a wingspan of about 30 mm. It lives in the northeastern United States and southern Canada, from Quebec and Maine down to North Carolina and west to Wisconsin. Its caterpillars eat nettles such as Urtica dioica, and adults fly from May through August, usually producing one generation per year in the north.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Abrostola ovalis, called the oval abrostola, belongs to the moth family Noctuidae.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The adult’s wingspan measures roughly 30 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The larvae feed on the stinging nettle Urtica dioica and probably other nettle species.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
In the northern part of its range there is one generation each year, while farther south a partial second or two full generations may occur.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adult moths are on the wing from May through August.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range covers the same north-eastern North American region described for its habitat.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 26 of 51 states and DC. Most records: North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, New York, Vermont, Michigan, Minnesota.
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 do the caterpillars eat?
They feed on nettles such as Urtica dioica and likely other nettle species.
Source: Wikipedia
How many generations are produced each year?
One generation per year in the north, with a possible partial second or two full generations in the south.
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/Abrostola_ovalis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-28 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-28.