Bug FAQPale-winged Gray
Iridopsis ephyraria · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Geometridae
Also called: Pale-winged Gray Moth
The pale-winged gray is a moth in the Geometridae family (Iridopsis ephyraria). Its wingspan measures about 23 to 28 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Iridopsis ephyraria, known as the pale-winged gray, belongs to the Geometridae family.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The adult’s wingspan ranges from 23 to 28 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The caterpillars feed on many woody plants such as ash, fir, birch, chokecherry, hemlock, elm, gooseberry, maple and willow.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Pimpla pedalis wasp parasitizes the pupae of this moth.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the wing from June through September.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 33 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Wisconsin, New York, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Vermont.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do the larvae eat?
They feed on a variety of woody plants including ash, fir, birch, chokecherry, hemlock, elm, gooseberry, maple and willow.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Geometridae)
Willow BeautyPeribatodes rhomboidaria
Pale BeautyCampaea perlataDamages trees, gardens or crops
Large Lace-border MothScopula limboundataDamages trees, gardens or crops
Riband WaveIdaea aversata
Yellow Shell MothCamptogramma bilineata
Large Maple Spanworm MothProchoerodes lineolaDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iridopsis_ephyraria
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.