Bug FAQPurple Plagodis Moth
Plagodis kuetzingi · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Geometridae
Also called: Purple Plagodis
Plagodis kuetzingi, the purple plagodis, is a rare North American moth in the Geometridae family. It is an uncommon to rare species that flies from May to July and its caterpillars feed only on ash trees.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Plagodis kuetzingi, the purple plagodis, belongs to the Geometridae family of moths.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
It is an uncommon to rare moth.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Its larvae feed only on ash trees (Fraxinus species).
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are active from May through July.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The purple plagodis is a North American species.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 21 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Vermont, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Ohio, Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, Michigan.
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 purple plagodis moths eat?
Their caterpillars feed exclusively on ash trees (Fraxinus species).
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Geometridae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plagodis_kuetzingi
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.