Bug FAQRufous Quaker
Protorthodes rufula · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Noctuidae
The Rufous Quaker moth has forewings 13 to 16 mm long and shows a ground colour that can range from pale whitish-buff to red, orange or brown, often with rufous patches. It lives along the Pacific Coast and coastal mountains from northern Washington to southern California, and adults fly from early spring to early summer and again from late summer through autumn.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Most specimens have some rufous-coloured shading on the forewings. The forewing colour varies from pale whitish-buff through shades of red, orange, to brown.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Forewing length ranges from 13 to 16 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is found on the Pacific Coast and in the coastal mountain ranges of western North America.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed on hardwoods in the rose family, such as Prunus and Malus species.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Flight periods are mid-April to mid-June in northern areas, starting as early as mid-February in southern California, with a second period from early August to late October.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range is western North America from northern Washington to southern California.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 5 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Arizona.
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 larvae eat?
The caterpillars feed on hardwood trees in the rose family, including species of Prunus and Malus.
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/Protorthodes_rufula
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-26 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-26.